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 moreThis is a continuation of the long-running Godavarman forest conservation litigation. The State of Maharashtra applied to modify the Court's own judgment of 22 May 2025 concerning "Zudpi jungle lands," seeking relief for small, fragmented land parcels (under 3 hectares, not adjoining forest) and for long-standing encroachments (agricultural use, houses, slums, government colonies and schools) covering about 10,365 hectares as recommended by the Central Empowered Committee (CEC).
The Court declined the State's first request to exempt fragmented land parcels from protected-forest status outright, but clarified that the State can still use such land for purposes permitted under Section 3(2) of the Forest Rights Act, 2006, by following the prescribed procedure. On the second request, the Court accepted the State's plea: it directed that the earlier judgment's restrictions would not apply to encroachments made before 12 December 1996 for agriculture, housing, slums, government colonies and schools covering 10,365.049 hectares, as recommended by the CEC, while later encroachments would still need to be regularized under the stricter procedure set out earlier in the judgment.
Even within strict forest-protection regimes, the Court is willing to carve out protection for genuine, long-settled land use predating a fixed cutoff date, while keeping newer encroachments subject to the full regularization process, showing courts balancing conservation against settled human habitation.
