Latest Supreme Court Judgments

Landmark Supreme Court of India rulings, explained in clear, plain language.

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Constitutional Law

Showing 15 of 16 judgments

Can the government be made to put clear warning labels on unhealthy packaged foods?

Supreme Court Directs FSSAI to Clarify Front-of-Package Food Warning Label Proposal

3S And Our Health Society vs Union of India & Anr.

Public Health / Food Safety Law / Constitutional Law

The Supreme Court directed FSSAI to answer thirteen specific questions about its red hexagonal Front-of-Package warning label proposal and file a response within ten days.

Can public groups join disputes between private companies and the government?

M/s. Amalgam Steels and Power Ltd. vs Energy Watchdog

Electricity Law / Public Interest Litigation

The Supreme Court allowed a public group to participate in an electricity inquiry to share information, refusing to stop the High Court's interim order.

Can a State government restrict or block fishermen from transiting through its territorial waters to engage in purse seine fishing in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)?

Fisherman Care v. The Government of India, Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries & Ors. (with Gnanasekar & Ors. v. Union of India & Ors.)

Constitutional Law, Environmental & Marine Fisheries Law, Distribution of Legislative Powers (Seventh Schedule), and Fundamental Rights (Article 19(1)(g))

The Supreme Court directed Tamil Nadu to designate a specified transit channel and ensure timely processing of applications for fishermen to access the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) for purse seine fishing under the EEZ Rules 2025, upholding the principle of cooperative federalism.

Can the government banish a person from their district without a prior hearing?

Vijay Kumar Rajpoot vs State of Chhattisgarh

Criminal Law / Constitutional Law

The Supreme Court ruled that an order of externment (district banishment) passed without giving prior notice and a fair hearing is completely illegal and void.

$Kirloskar Ferrous Industries Ltd. vs Union of India$

Can the government include royalty and other levies when calculating mining fees?

Kirloskar Ferrous Industries Ltd. vs Union of India

Mining Law / Constitutional Law

The Supreme Court ruled that including royalty, DMF, and NMET payments in the sale value of minerals to calculate the Average Sale Price is constitutional and legal to prevent tax evasion.

Do you need a ready vehicle to apply for a bus permit?

Ajit Singh vs State of Rajasthan & Ors.

Motor Vehicles and Writ Jurisdiction

The Supreme Court ruled that litigants can appeal a Single Judge's tribunal order to a larger High Court bench, and applicants do not need to own a physical vehicle when applying for a bus permit.

Can the government hand out public contracts to favorites without a fair tender?

Save Mon Region Federation & Anr. v. State of Arunachal Pradesh & Ors.

Constitutional Law & Government Contracts

The Supreme Court ordered a CBI investigation into allegations that the Arunachal Pradesh government bypassed public tenders to award contracts to the Chief Minister's relatives.

Can state-nominated local body members vote in Legislative Council elections?

Pranesh M.K. vs A.V. Gayathri

Election Law / Constitutional Law

The Supreme Court ruled that nominated members of local municipal bodies do not have the right to vote in Legislative Council elections, and their invalid votes must be excluded for a recount.

Can citizens force governments to complete long-delayed public projects on strict timelines?

Madurai Farooq Ahmed vs. The Principal Secretary to Government

Public Interest / Infrastructure

The Court set a strict timeline for completing a long-delayed public subway in Tamil Nadu and praised a local citizen for fighting for it.

Can a state punish someone under a law that doesn't define a specific crime?

Shiv Pratap Singh vs State of U.P.

Criminal Law / Fundamental Rights

The Supreme Court quashed criminal cases under the UP Gangsters Act, ruling the law invalid or 'stillborn' because it fails to define a specific crime before punishing people.

Is hanging by the neck still a legal and constitutional way to execute criminals?

Rishi Malhotra vs Union of India

Criminal Law / Constitutional Law

The Supreme Court refused to stop hanging as the method of death penalty, finding no solid proof that other methods like lethal injections are safer or less painful.

Can governments quietly drop criminal cases against election candidates when power changes hands?

State of Karnataka vs Prathik Parasrampuria

Constitutional Law / Election Law

The Supreme Court set strict guidelines for cash seizures during elections and ruled that governments cannot withdraw election-related criminal cases without High Court approval.

Can police escape criminal investigation and fair compensation for a death in custody?

Lahra Bai Tamre vs State of Chhattisgarh

Criminal Law / Constitutional Law

The Supreme Court ordered a CBI probe and Rs. 25 lakh interim compensation for the custodial death of a man arrested with liquor.

Can the Scheduled Castes Commission force employers to pay arrears or grant promotions?

Mumbai Port Authority vs National Commission for Scheduled Caste

Constitutional Law

The Supreme Court ruled that the Scheduled Castes Commission cannot pass binding orders or force employers to pay arrears, as its powers are only advisory.

Can the government allow projects to start without prior environmental clearance and regularize them forever?

Vanashakti vs Union of India

Environmental Law / Constitutional Law

The Court ruled that environmental clearances must normally be taken beforehand, upholding a limited 2017 amnesty scheme but striking down an open-ended 2021 route for late approvals.