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 appellant claimed through the original usufructuary mortgagee of a property and sued, claiming ownership of the property by prescription and seeking a permanent injunction. The trial court decreed the suit in full, but the first appellate court held that the appellant, claiming only as mortgagee, could not claim ownership, while still upholding the injunction in his favour as mortgagee; the High Court affirmed this and gave the mortgagors' heirs liberty to separately pursue their right of redemption.
The Supreme Court held the issue was squarely covered by its earlier ruling in Singh Ram (Dead) Thr. LRs vs. Sheo Ram and Others, (2014) 9 SCC 185, which holds that a usufructuary mortgagee cannot claim to have become the owner of mortgaged property merely because 30 years have passed since the mortgage. Applying that precedent, the Court rejected the appellant's claim to ownership and dismissed the appeal, leaving the earlier courts' findings (injunction in the mortgagee's favour, with the mortgagors' heirs free to seek redemption separately) undisturbed.
A mortgagee, even one in long, uninterrupted possession under a usufructuary mortgage, cannot convert mere lapse of time into ownership; the right to redeem the mortgage survives for the mortgagor's heirs regardless of how many years have passed.
