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 moreThe complainant, an NRI residing in Toronto, had purchased a residential plot in the "Athina Township" layout in Doddagubbi Village, Bengaluru, developed under General Powers of Attorney executed by the original landowners in 1994. She alleged that forged GPAs, fraudulent sale deeds, and confirmation deeds were created over the same survey land, and a magistrate had directed the police to register an FIR and investigate under Section 156(3) CrPC. The Karnataka High Court quashed these proceedings under Section 482 CrPC, holding the dispute to be essentially civil in nature. Several connected appeals involving similar allegations over the same land and common accused were heard together, with this case treated as the lead matter.
The Supreme Court held that the High Court had overstepped the limited scope of its power under Section 482 CrPC by evaluating the merits of the dispute and effectively conducting a "mini-trial" at the threshold stage, when the Magistrate had only directed registration of an FIR and investigation. Relying on its earlier ruling in Neeharika Infrastructure v. State of Maharashtra, the Court reiterated that investigation should not be scuttled except where the complaint, on its face, discloses no cognizable offence, and that the mere existence of a civil remedy does not bar criminal proceedings where a cognizable offence is prima facie disclosed. The Court found the allegations of forged documents and fraudulent land transactions did disclose cognizable offences warranting investigation. It therefore set aside the High Court's order and revived the FIRs and proceedings, allowing the parties to place their defence before the investigating agency and the court at the appropriate stage. The appeals were allowed.
High Courts should be cautious about quashing an FIR or a police investigation merely because a dispute has civil overtones. If the complaint, on its face, discloses a cognizable offence, the investigating agency's statutory duty to investigate must ordinarily be allowed to proceed rather than being cut short by evaluating disputed facts at the threshold.
