September 4, 2026
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Supreme Court Judgments Summary
2nd Sep, 2026
Fishing in Exclusive Economic Zones
This judgment addresses the complex regulatory framework governing the rights of fishermen using purse seine nets to transit through the territorial waters of Tamil Nadu to access the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) for fishing. The Supreme Court established that while the State has autonomous legislative competence to regulate marine fishing within its territorial waters to conserve marine ecology, it cannot obstruct access to the EEZ—which falls under central jurisdiction—provided statutory rules and tracking mechanisms are strictly adhered to by the fishers.
2026 INSC 937 : Fisherman Care v. The Government of India Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries and Ors. (D.O.J.2.09.2026)
The Mandate of Reason: Setting Aside Laconic Orders in Criminal Appeals
This appeal challenged a cryptic, unreasoned High Court order that dismissed an appeal under Section 14A(2) of the SC/ST Act against a trial court order summoning additional accused under Section 319 of the Cr.P.C. The Supreme Court held that the High Court failed in its fundamental duty to provide reasons for its decision, reiterating that a reasoned order is a mandatory safeguard ensuring application of mind and enabling effective judicial review.
2026 INSC 938 : Rajeev Singh and Ors. v. State of Uttar Pradesh and Anr. (D.O.J.31.08.2026)
Granting Divorce on Grounds of Desertion After Decades of Separation
This civil appeal examined whether continuous separation and the refusal of a spouse to resume cohabitation constituted desertion under Section 13(1)(ib) of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955. The Supreme Court held that where parties have lived separately for over two decades with no children born and all reconciliation efforts having failed, the marriage is irretrievably broken down, and the appellant-husband successfully established the ground of desertion.
2026 INSC 939 : Bijendra v. Rekha (D.O.J.02.09.2026)
Releasing Seized Transport Vehicles Pending Trial Under the Gujarat Prohibition Act
This appeal addressed whether a commercial truck seized for transporting a large quantity of prohibited Indian-Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) could be released into the interim custody of its owner pending trial under Section 451 of the Cr.P.C. / Section 497 of the BNSS, despite the restrictive provisions of Section 98(2) of the Gujarat Prohibition Act, 1949. The Supreme Court held that Section 98(2) does not operate as an absolute embargo against the release of vehicles, and courts must exercise their discretionary powers to prevent seized property from decaying indefinitely at police stations.
2026 INSC 940 : M/s ABC Express v. State of Gujarat (D.O.J.02.09.2026)
Navigating Liability and Clearing Member Duties in the Derivatives Market
This consolidated appeal before the Supreme Court examined whether Professional Clearing Members (PCMs) can be held liable to restitute or compensate individual retail investors for securities liquidated following defaults by Trading Members (TMs) in the Futures & Options (F&O) segment. The Court held that PCMs do not have a statutory obligation or real-time visibility to verify the debit and credit positions of individual clients of a TM under the regulatory framework active during the relevant period. Furthermore, the Member and Core Settlement Guarantee Fund Committee (MCSGFC) lacks the statutory power to order monetary restitution or disgorgement under exchange byelaws.
2026 INSC 941 : Edelweiss Custodial Services Limited v. NSE Clearing Ltd. & Anr. (D.O.J.02.09.2026)
The Supremacy of Juvenile Justice Rights Over Technical Finality
This appeal examined whether the High Court can refuse to entertain a plea of juvenility under section 482 of the Code of Criminal Procedure on the ground that the matter had attained finality up to the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court held that the bar of finality and Section 362 of the Code of Criminal Procedure cannot override the mandatory statutory protections granted to a juvenile, and that the High Court possesses inherent powers to recall judgments to prevent a miscarriage of justice when a juvenile has been wrongly tried and convicted as an adult.
2026 INSC 942 : Mahavir @ Avnish v. The State of Madhya Pradesh (D.O.J.02.09.2026)
The Legality of SARFAESI Enforcement on Assigned Debts
These appeals addressed whether a bank defined under Section $2(1)(c)$ of the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest Act, 2002 can utilize its provisions to recover a debt assigned by a financial entity that was not governed by the SARFAESI Act when the debt was originally created. The Supreme Court ruled that when a live debt is acquired by a bank to which the SARFAESI Act already applies, the loan account immediately assumes the attributes of a secured debt under the statute, allowing the assignee bank to initiate recovery measures regardless of the original lender’s initial status.
2026 INSC 943 : Kotak Mahindra Bank Limited v. Trupti Sanjay Mehta and others (D.O.J.02.09.2026)
The Impermissibility of Revoking Decades-Old Land Survey Records
This appeal evaluated whether the revisional authority under Section 56 of the Karnataka Land Revenue Act, 1964 can initiate proceedings to cancel city survey numbers decades after their allotment. The Supreme Court held that the revisional jurisdiction exercised after 35 years was patently time-barred under the three-year limitation period stipulated in the proviso to Section 56(3) of the Act, and that authorities cannot bypass statutory limitations or upend settled third-party rights on the strength of stale complaints.
2026 INSC 944 : M.R.R. Setty (Dead), by LRs v. Government of Karnataka and others (D.O.J.02.09.2026)
Acquittal in a Brutal Child Murder Case Due to Fatal Gaps in Evidence
This appeal challenged the concurrent judgments of the High Court and Trial Court which convicted the appellant under Sections 302, 201, and 377 of the Indian Penal Code based on circumstantial evidence, a “last seen” theory, an extra-judicial confession, and subsequent disclosures. The Supreme Court set aside the conviction, ruling that the prosecution failed to establish a complete and unbroken chain of circumstances connecting the accused to the crime, burdened as the case was by major discrepancies, fabricated timelines, and an unreliable extra-judicial confession.
2026 INSC 945 : Sahab Singh alias Sat Pal v. State of Haryana (D.O.J.02.09.2026)
Vehicle Release and Confiscation Powers Under the NDPS Act
This appeal addresses the legality of denying the release of a vehicle seized under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (NDPS Act) following the acquittal of the accused, and clarifies whether such conveyances fall under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Drug Disposal Committee (DDC) or the trial court.
2026 INSC 946 : R Manimaran v. State of Tamil Nadu (D.O.J. 24.08.2026)
Custom Duty : Setting Aside Adjudications Polluted by AI Hallucinations
This appeal challenged a Gujarat High Court order which had upheld a massive customs penalty imposed on the appellant for allegedly mis-declaring natural diamonds as lab-grown diamonds. The Supreme Court set aside both the High Court order and the original adjudication order, ruling that the reliance by the customs authority on non-existent, fake, or AI-hallucinated case laws and citations vitiated the entire decision-making process, as artificial intelligence can only serve as an assistive tool and never substitute genuine judicial adjudication.
2026 INSC 947 : Vijay Ghanshyam Gadiya v. Union of India & Anr (D.O.J.2.9.2026)
