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 had filed a civil suit (O.S. No. 6640/1996) for declaration of title and injunction over a piece of land in Bangalore, while the respondents had filed a connected cross-suit (O.S. No. 2150/1992) over the same land; the two suits were tried together. The trial court dismissed the appellant's suit and decreed the respondents' suit, and a Single Judge of the Karnataka High Court summarily dismissed the appellant's two first appeals without meaningfully discussing the evidence or the issues raised.
The Supreme Court held that a first appeal under Section 96 CPC is a valuable right, and the first appellate court has a duty, reinforced by a long line of its own precedents, to independently re-appreciate the entire evidence and record reasoned findings on every issue raised, in line with Order 41 Rule 31 CPC. Because the High Court's judgment was "cryptic" and dismissed the appeals "very cursorily," without complying with this duty, the Supreme Court allowed the appeals, set aside the High Court's judgment, and remanded both first appeals to the High Court for a fresh decision on merits: expressly declining to comment on who should ultimately win.
A first appellate court cannot dispose of a first appeal in a few cursory lines; it must genuinely re-examine the evidence and give reasons on all issues, and if it fails to do so, the Supreme Court can send the case back for a proper hearing regardless of the underlying merits.
