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 Goan domicile, Joaquim Mariano Pereira, owned a property in Bombay (outside Goa) and bequeathed it by will to his youngest daughter, Maria Luiza Valentina Pereira, while leaving smaller cash sums to his other two daughters. After his death, a dispute arose over whether succession to this Bombay property should be governed by the Portuguese Civil Code of 1867 (which continues to apply in Goa and gives other heirs a protected share called the "legitime") or by the Indian Succession Act, 1925, which generally governs succession to property situated outside Goa. The appellant, representing the other heirs, argued the Civil Code should apply even to the Bombay property; the respondent argued the Indian Succession Act should govern since the property was outside Goa.
The Supreme Court held that the Portuguese Civil Code, 1867, as applicable in Goa, is a special and local personal law governing succession for Goan domiciles, and it continues to apply to such persons' properties wherever situated in India, whether inside or outside Goa, rather than the general Indian Succession Act, 1925. The Court also held that a probate granted by a court (here, the Bombay High Court) only certifies that a will is genuine; it does not validate a will's substantive effect where it conflicts with the inheritance rights (the "legitime") guaranteed to heirs under the applicable succession law. Accordingly, the Bombay property could not simply be willed away outside the Civil Code's inheritance scheme, the High Court's judgment was set aside, and the earlier order including the Bombay property in the Goa inventory proceedings was restored.
For persons domiciled in Goa, the Portuguese Civil Code's succession rules (including protected inheritance shares for legal heirs) follow them and apply to all their properties across India, not just property within Goa, and obtaining probate of a will does not override those statutory inheritance rights.
