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 plaintiff had been running a hotel business in rented premises in Mumbai under a 1967 "agreement of conducting" with the landlady (the first defendant), who owned the business but not the premises. After the landlady terminated the arrangement in 1997, the plaintiff sued claiming he had become a "deemed tenant" of the premises under Section 15A of the Bombay Rents Act because of the nature of his long-running occupation. The trial court agreed, but the first appellate court and the Bombay High Court reversed that finding, holding the 1967 agreement was only for conducting the business, not a tenancy of the premises.
The Supreme Court examined the terms of the 1967 agreement and found it entrusted the plaintiff with running the hotel business owned by the first defendant, not with possession of the premises itself: a crucial clause transferring possession was absent. Applying the Evidence Act's bar on oral evidence to alter a written document's terms, the Court held that royalty payments and other conduct could not convert a business-conducting arrangement into a deemed tenancy. The Court also used the case to criticize the trend of excessively long, meandering pleadings and urged trial courts to use their power to strike out unnecessary material. It dismissed the appeal, upholding the High Court's finding against deemed tenancy.
Whether an arrangement creates a tenancy or merely a licence/business-conducting relationship depends on the actual terms of the written agreement, particularly whether possession of the property was handed over, not on how long the arrangement lasted or what it was informally called.
