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 moreA long-running land dispute arose over property in the Kolhan area where the plaintiffs claimed a declaration of title and confirmation of possession over land they said had been wrongly recorded in the defendants' names during a survey, though their plaint had actually claimed only half the suit property. A panchayat-style award (decided under "Wilkinson's Rules," a customary tribal adjudication framework) and subsequent administrative and court proceedings, including the Patna High Court's Single Judge and Letters Patent (Division) Bench, had all ruled in the plaintiffs' favour and against the present appellants.
The Supreme Court held that it was unnecessary to decide the broader question of the validity of Wilkinson's Rules, for two independent reasons: first, the lower courts' decree had wrongly granted the plaintiffs the entirety of the suit property when the plaint itself had claimed only half, so the decree had to be corrected to that extent; second, the Bihar Kolhan Civil Justice (Regulating and Validating) Act, 1978 independently validated the past exercise of authority under Wilkinson's Rules by the relevant officers, which the appellants had not challenged, making it difficult to disturb the concurrent findings of the courts below on that basis. The appeal was disposed of on these narrow grounds, correcting the decree's scope but otherwise upholding the lower findings.
A court's decree cannot grant relief beyond what was actually claimed in the plaint, even if lower authorities and courts agreed on the merits, any part of the decree that exceeds the pleaded relief will be set aside to that extent.
