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 moreA wife lodged a complaint alleging dowry demands, assault and torture, leading to charges under Section 498A (cruelty), 406 and 506 IPC and the Dowry Prohibition Act against her husband and another appellant. A Magistrate convicted them under Section 498A (acquitting them of the other charges), and this conviction was upheld on appeal by the Sessions Court and in revision by the Calcutta High Court. However, while the appeal was still pending before the Sessions Court, the husband and wife had already settled their dispute through a Memorandum of Understanding and obtained a mutual divorce.
The Supreme Court noted that the parties had genuinely reconciled their differences, the wife had no remaining grievance and wanted both appellants acquitted, and the settlement had already been acted upon through the mutual divorce. Relying on its earlier ruling in B.S. Joshi v. State of Haryana (which permits compounding/quashing of matrimonial offences like Section 498A where parties have genuinely settled), the Court held the High Court ought to have accepted the settlement and compounded the offence rather than upholding the conviction. It accordingly allowed the appeal and set aside the conviction.
In matrimonial criminal cases such as dowry-harassment complaints under Section 498A IPC, courts can and should give effect to a genuine, voluntary settlement between the spouses, especially where the settlement has already been acted upon (such as through a mutual divorce), rather than mechanically upholding a conviction once the underlying relationship dispute has been resolved.
