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 man's first wife had obtained an ex parte divorce decree, after which he married a second wife (the appellant). The first wife's appeal against a related order was later allowed by a High Court Single Judge, who directed that the man and his first wife should "live together as husband and wife", without ever making the second wife a party to that appeal or hearing her. When the second wife learned of this and sought review, a Division Bench dismissed her review petition, so she appealed to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court held that the High Court's order was passed without impleading or hearing the appellant (the second wife), even though the High Court itself had noted her marriage to the husband, making the directions given both procedurally unfair and practically incapable of being carried out. On this short ground alone, the Court held the impugned order was "wholly without jurisdiction and legally unsustainable," allowed the appeals, set aside the High Court's orders, and remanded the matter to the High Court to decide the original appeal afresh after impleading the appellant as a party. The Court also urged the High Court to encourage the parties to reach an amicable settlement of this long-pending dispute where possible.
Any order that affects a person's rights or status cannot be passed without making that person a party and giving them a hearing: an order issued behind someone's back, even in someone else's appeal, can be struck down purely for that procedural failure, regardless of its merits.
