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 moreProperties that originally belonged to one Subramania Iyer were divided among his four sons, who retained a right of enjoyment for the parents during their lifetime. Two of the sons later sold their undivided shares to the appellant through registered sale deeds. The appellant sued for a declaration of his half share in the property, but one son's own four sons (who held an interest in that branch) had not been made parties to the suit, leading the trial court, the appellate court, and the High Court to compute the appellant's actual entitlement at a reduced 5/24 share rather than the half share claimed.
The Supreme Court agreed with the lower appellate court and the High Court on the merits, holding that since the four sons of one seller were not parties to the suit, the sale to the appellant from that branch could only be valid to the extent of that seller's own 1/4 share within his branch. However, the Court identified an arithmetic error in the lower courts' computation, the correct aggregate of the two sellers' shares was 7/24, not the 5/24 that had been calculated, and corrected it. The appeal was allowed only to that limited extent, with a preliminary decree declaring the appellant entitled to a 7/24 share, and the Court directed that execution proceedings (pending since 1985) be expedited, with no order as to costs.
In property disputes, all co-owners or heirs with a stake in the specific share being transferred must be made parties to the suit, or the buyer's rights may be confined only to the seller's own fractional interest, and even where the overall legal findings are correct, courts will still carefully verify and correct simple arithmetic errors in share calculations before finalizing a decree.
