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 moreAppellant No.1 claimed she married the respondent in 1998 in a temple against both families' wishes, and that two children were born of the marriage. She alleged that after the respondent married another woman in 2005, he neglected and harassed her, prompting her to seek maintenance under Section 125 Cr.P.C. for herself and her children. The Family Court, relying on the children's birth certificates naming the respondent as father, photographs, witness testimony from a co-worker and a landlord, and maintenance payments the respondent had already been making, held the marriage proved and awarded maintenance. The High Court, however, reversed this in revision, holding she had failed to prove a valid customary marriage.
The Supreme Court held that Section 125 Cr.P.C. proceedings are summary in nature and do not require the strict standard of proof of marriage applicable in matrimonial or criminal bigamy cases. Relying on a long line of precedent (including Dwarika Prasad Satpathy and Chanmuniya), the Court reaffirmed that continuous cohabitation as husband and wife raises a rebuttable presumption of valid marriage, and that a broad, purposive interpretation of "wife" must be given to fulfil the beneficial, anti-vagrancy purpose of the provision. It found the Family Court's findings, based on birth certificates, photographs, and corroborating witnesses, were findings of fact that the High Court, sitting in a limited revisional capacity, had no power to reassess and overturn. The Supreme Court set aside the High Court's judgment, restored the Family Court's maintenance order, and directed the respondent to pay arrears within two months and continue monthly maintenance, while leaving the appellants free to seek enhancement later.
For a maintenance claim under Section 125 Cr.P.C., a woman does not need to prove her marriage to the same strict standard required in a criminal bigamy trial: long cohabitation as husband and wife, corroborated by documents like children's birth certificates and independent witnesses, can be enough to establish entitlement to maintenance.
