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.
14543 more judgements for members
You're seeing the newest cases. Log in — it's free — to keep scrolling, search by name or judge, and filter by court or legal area.
Log in to see moreThe appellants, maternal uncles of a man accused of harassing his wife and kidnapping their child, were named in an FIR registered under Section 498A IPC (cruelty to a married woman) and related offences based on the wife's complaint. The High Court had earlier declined to quash the proceedings against them while the investigation was still pending, though it directed police not to arrest them until the investigation concluded. After the investigation finished, a charge sheet and later a supplementary charge sheet were filed naming the appellants as accused, but the Supreme Court found these contained only bald, general allegations that the uncles had "supported" the husband, without any specific details of their individual involvement.
The Supreme Court reiterated its settled position that criminal proceedings should not normally be interfered with at an interlocutory stage, but that courts must step in to prevent abuse of process, especially in matrimonial cases where distant relatives are often roped in through vague, omnibus allegations. Examining the charge sheet and supplementary charge sheet, the Court found no specific facts connecting the maternal uncles to the alleged harassment or the child's kidnapping beyond generic claims of "support" for the husband, and held this did not amount to even a prima facie case against them. It accordingly quashed the criminal proceedings against the appellants and allowed the appeal.
In matrimonial and dowry-related criminal cases, courts will quash proceedings against extended family members (such as uncles) where the chargesheet contains only generalised, unspecific allegations rather than concrete evidence of their individual role in the alleged offence.
