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 challenged land acquisition proceedings against his property, arguing that the government's dispensation of the mandatory Section 5-A inquiry (which gives landowners a chance to object before acquisition) was unjustified. The High Court declined to interfere with the acquisition itself, but separately ordered that the appellant be given a plot under the Government's Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R) Policy, as the authorities themselves had conceded he was entitled to.
The Supreme Court noted that, given the long passage of time and other developments since the acquisition, it would not be appropriate to revisit the validity of the acquisition itself on merits at this late stage. Instead, it focused on ensuring the benefit already promised to the appellant was actually delivered: it directed the respondent authorities to allot and hand over a plot under the R&R Policy within twelve weeks, and ordered that if this deadline was missed, the appellant would be entitled to additional compensation of Rs. 1,000 per day until the plot was handed over.
Courts may decline to reopen a long-delayed challenge to the legality of a land acquisition itself, but they can still step in to make sure that rehabilitation or resettlement benefits the authorities have already agreed to provide are actually and promptly delivered, with a financial penalty for delay.
