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 moreTwo linked flat-buyers in a Mumbai housing project had been promised possession by August 2014 under agreements that allowed automatic extensions for specified delay events, but possession was only offered in November 2016. The National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission awarded the buyers 8% annual interest as compensation for the delay (after rejecting the builder's excuses about a delayed fire-safety NOC and a sand-mining restriction), along with a partial refund of disputed charges and litigation costs, and the builder appealed to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court held that the builder was entitled to only a 6-month extension (for the genuine NOC-related delay) rather than the full period claimed, and found the sand-shortage argument only partly persuasive since there was no outright mining ban. It rejected the builder's separate argument that the complaints were not maintainable because the flats had changed hands, distinguishing an earlier precedent since here the transfers happened within the same family, unlike transfers to unrelated strangers. Weighing the facts, the Court modified the Commission's order by replacing the ongoing 8% interest compensation with a one-time lump sum of Rs. 5 lakh per flat, while keeping the Commission's other directions (refund of balance deposit and litigation costs) intact, to be paid within two months.
A builder cannot avoid liability for delayed possession merely by pointing to permit delays or raw-material shortages unless those genuinely and fully explain the delay period, and a consumer's claim does not automatically fail just because the flat was transferred to a family member during the dispute.
