Limits of the issue decided

The Court set aside the High Court judgment on the issue before it. It consciously refrained from deciding other challenges to the FIRs on their merits. The decision concerned the continuing validity of the notification. The High Court was directed not to entertain further challenges on the issue decided. This did not determine the truth of the underlying allegations. The judgment did not decide every possible defence to a charge-sheet. Other grounds were expressly left open for the appropriate stage. The holding must be confined to the issue actually resolved. (The Joint Director (Rayalaseema), Anti-Corruption Bureau, A.P. & Anr. v. Dayam Peda Ranga Rao | 2026 INSC 37)