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 moreHarish Chand's wife Urmila had succeeded before the Family Court at Bharatpur in a maintenance-related application. Harish Chand challenged that order through a revision petition before the Rajasthan High Court, which the Single Judge dismissed in a very short order, essentially stating only that Harish Chand was a headmaster/senior teacher capable of paying maintenance, without discussing the facts, the parties' arguments, or the legal basis for the Family Court's order. Harish Chand then appealed to the Supreme Court against this cryptic dismissal.
The Supreme Court held that the High Court's one-paragraph order was legally unsustainable because it failed to record the facts, note the submissions of either side, refer to the governing legal provisions, or give any reasoning, leaving the Supreme Court itself unable to understand what the dispute or the Trial Court's reasoning even was. Because of this complete absence of reasoning, the Supreme Court declined to examine the underlying maintenance dispute on its own merits for the first time in this appeal. It set aside the High Court's order and sent the revision petition back to the High Court, directing it to decide the matter afresh, on merits and in accordance with law, preferably within six months.
A court order that merely states a conclusion without recording the facts, the parties' arguments, or legal reasoning can be struck down on that basis alone, regardless of whether the ultimate outcome might have been correct: reasoned decisions are a basic requirement of a fair hearing. The maintenance dispute itself went back to the High Court to be decided afresh.
