Real judgements, distilled
Court judgements broken down into the case type, how the decision played out, and the lesson worth remembering, with the full judgement available as a PDF.
Civil Appeal · 2026 INSC 1094
An older qualification must still satisfy the eligibility rules governing the appointment sought. Here, the certificate's early date did not secure reinstatement, and rejection of eligibility should not be confused with a conclusive finding that the certificate was forged.
Civil Appeal · 2026 INSC 1095
A party benefiting from a conditional stay must meet its deposit requirement or face enforcement. The additional ₹15 crore deposit secures the pending dispute; it does not settle the land's final compensation or amount to an immediate payment to the landowners.
Criminal Appeal · 2026 INSC 1093
An alleged attempt to kill does not become a lesser offence simply because the victim avoided a fatal injury. Restoring this charge means the accusation must be tried; it does not establish that the accused is guilty.
Civil Appeal · 2026 INSC 1090
For the assessment in this case, assistance reducing ordinary manufacturing costs was taxable even though the government wanted to encourage industry. The purpose and actual operation of the particular subsidy mattered more than its general development label.
Criminal Appeal · 2026 INSC 1091
Proof that someone caused a serious injury does not by itself prove the additional ingredients of robbery. A court can substitute a lesser offence supported by the evidence; the sentencing reduction here depended on Appa's particular circumstances.
Special Leave Petition (Civil) · 2026 INSC 1092
Someone challenging an election must ensure that the personal-presentation requirement is met and can be proved. Merely entering the court building does not establish compliance, and a filing defect can end the challenge before the election allegations are examined.
Civil Appeal · 2026 INSC 1088
An employee who retires on 30 June may be entitled to the increment that falls due on 1 July after completing a year of service. Authorities that delay paying the amounts due must pay interest after the deadline set by the court.
Civil Appeal · 2026 INSC 1089
Recruitment must follow the qualifications stated in the advertisement and the governing Recruitment Rules. A court will not override a merit-based eligibility decision made under those rules merely because the candidate concerned was higher in the written test.
Writ Petition (Criminal) · 2026:DHC:8797
A person who occupied property only because of employment has no independent right to remain once the employment and decree end. Even when a petition fails, courts can make practical arrangements to let a person recover personal belongings.
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Log in to see moreFollowing a Goa High Court direction in a PIL to quantify the environmental damage caused by illegal construction, the Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA) unilaterally directed Zon Hotels to pay over ₹2.04 crore as environmental compensation, without issuing any show-cause notice or giving the company a hearing. On appeal, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) acknowledged this lack of a hearing but did not send the matter back to the GCZMA; instead it treated its own appellate hearing as sufficient and upheld the compensation figure.
The Supreme Court held that a hearing given for the first time by an appellate body like the NGT is not the same quality of opportunity that the original authority should have given before fixing the compensation amount. Since the GCZMA's order was passed in clear violation of natural justice, the NGT ought to have remanded the matter rather than curing the defect itself. The Court set aside the NGT's order (only on this natural-justice ground, not on the merits of the compensation figure), directed that the GCZMA's original order be treated as a show-cause notice, and gave the appellant three weeks to respond before a fresh determination of the compensation is made.
A person or company facing a significant financial liability from a government or regulatory authority is entitled to notice and a hearing before that decision is made: a later hearing at the appeal stage cannot substitute for, or cure, that missed opportunity.
