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 "Communidade", a Goa-specific traditional village association that collectively owns agricultural land for the benefit of its members, had two of its properties declared as tenanted land in favour of private respondents after a tenancy declaration case decided ex-parte in 2017. While its appeal against that tenancy declaration was still pending, the Communidade tried to settle by agreeing to a 60:40 land split with the tenants, effectively granting each side "ownership-like" rights over their share. This compromise needed the Goa Administrative Tribunal's permission under Article 154(3) of the Code of Comunidades, which was refused, and the Bombay High Court (Goa Bench) upheld that refusal.
The Supreme Court agreed with the Tribunal and High Court that the proposed compromise was not a genuine settlement but an attempt to bypass two statutes: the Goa Agricultural Tenancy Act, 1964 and the Goa Land Use (Regulation) Act, 1991. It found the consent terms would effectively confer freehold ownership on both parties (letting them use agricultural land for any purpose, including non-agricultural use) without following the statutory procedure for a tenant to actually purchase tenanted land, and would terminate the existing tenancy through none of the three modes the Tenancy Act permits. The Court held that Article 30(4)(g) of the Code only allows a Communidade to deliberate on compromise terms, not to enter into one that bypasses the Tribunal's sanction or defeats mandatory statutory protections. It dismissed the appeal but clarified it expressed no view on the merits of the underlying tenancy dispute, which remains pending in the separate Tenancy Appeal.
Parties cannot use a "compromise" or private settlement to sidestep statutory protections (like tenancy or land-use restrictions) that exist for reasons beyond the two parties' private interest: such an agreement can be refused legal sanction even if both sides consent to it.
