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 and respondent had a contract for sale of iron ore pellets which contained an arbitration clause stating "Arbitration shall be under Indian Arbitration and Conciliation Law 1996 and the Venue of Arbitration shall be Bhubaneswar." After a payment dispute arose and the appellant failed to deliver the goods, the respondent sought appointment of an arbitrator, but filed its application before the Madras High Court, not a court in Odisha. The Madras High Court held it had jurisdiction too, reasoning that merely naming a "venue" in Bhubaneswar did not exclude other courts, and went ahead and appointed a retired judge as sole arbitrator.
The Supreme Court held that where an arbitration agreement designates a specific place as the "venue," courts have consistently treated such a designation (relying on BALCO, Swastik Gases, and Indus Mobile Distribution) as effectively fixing the "seat" of arbitration, which in turn confers exclusive supervisory jurisdiction on the courts of that place, even without express words like "exclusive" or "alone." Applying this, since the agreement named Bhubaneswar as the venue, only the Orissa High Court (not the Madras High Court) had jurisdiction to entertain a Section 11(6) application for appointing an arbitrator. The Court therefore set aside the Madras High Court's order appointing the arbitrator and allowed the appeal, leaving the respondent free to approach the Orissa High Court instead.
When a contract names a specific city as the "venue" of arbitration, that designation generally operates as the exclusive legal "seat," meaning only the courts of that city/state can be approached for arbitration-related relief such as appointing an arbitrator: parties should file in the court matching their contract's venue clause, not wherever is most convenient.
