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 moreMachhla Devi (the allottee) was allotted a house by the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) in 1994 under a hire-purchase scheme but repeatedly defaulted on payments over several years, leading GDA to cancel the allotment. A first writ petition challenging the cancellation was dismissed by the Allahabad High Court in 2016 after detailed reasoning. When GDA later moved to evict her, she filed a second writ petition, and a different bench of the same High Court granted her relief, without even issuing notice to GDA, effectively reversing the earlier, final order of its own coordinate bench.
The Supreme Court held that the second High Court order was legally impermissible because it undermined an earlier, final decision of a coordinate bench of the same High Court, violating basic judicial discipline and propriety. It also found the order was passed in breach of natural justice (audi alteram partem) since GDA was never given notice or a hearing. On facts, the Court found the allottee had been in unauthorised occupation of public property for about 14 years despite a final order against her, which amounted to unjust enrichment and abuse of process. The Court set aside the High Court's order, allowed the appeal, and directed the allottee's eviction, permitting GDA to use police assistance if necessary.
Once a court finally decides an issue, even a differently constituted bench of the same court cannot simply override that decision in a later round of litigation without following due process, and continued unauthorised occupation of public property, however long-running, does not create a right to keep it.
