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 moreHimanshu Chordia and Arushi Jain married in 2014; the marriage broke down and Arushi left with their child in 2020, filing for maintenance under Section 125 CrPC before a Udaipur court. Himanshu opposed the claim under Section 125(4), alleging Arushi was living in adultery, relying on roughly 92 videos and 237 photographs obtained through a private investigator. Both the Trial Court and the Rajasthan High Court declined to examine this adultery allegation before the final hearing of the main maintenance case, prompting this appeal.
The Supreme Court held that a Section 125(4) adultery allegation is a distinct question that must be decided before or alongside the interim maintenance stage, not deferred to the very end of the case, but clarified that interim maintenance already granted continues unless the husband proves the allegation "ex facie," with clear and cogent evidence; merely filing such an application does not automatically suspend payments. It remanded the case to the Trial Court to actually decide the merits of the adultery application. Separately, the Court raised a broader concern about the unregulated, largely unlicensed private-investigation industry being used to covertly gather evidence in matrimonial disputes, flagging risks to privacy and evidence authenticity, and directed that the judgment be sent to the Law Ministry and Law Commission to consider regulating private detective agencies.
An allegation that a spouse is "living in adultery" must be examined promptly in a maintenance case, but it does not automatically cut off maintenance payments unless proven with clear evidence: simply raising the allegation is not enough. The judgment also flags that evidence gathered by private investigators in personal disputes currently operates with no licensing or privacy safeguards in India.
