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 moreThe plaintiffs (the Rout family) sued in 1999 to have a 1997 sale deed declared bogus and to confirm their possession of the land, but the trial court dismissed the suit. On first appeal, the District Judge framed a fresh issue of "adverse possession" that neither side had raised in their pleadings, and on that basis reversed the trial court and decreed the suit in the plaintiffs' favour for part of the property. The High Court of Jharkhand then allowed a second appeal by the original defendants (the Rao family), holding that adverse possession could not be decided since it was never pleaded by either party, and restored the trial court's dismissal. The plaintiffs then approached the Supreme Court by special leave petition.
The Supreme Court dismissed the petition, agreeing with the High Court. Reviewing a long line of precedent (from 19th-century Privy Council and High Court rulings to modern Supreme Court authority), the Court reaffirmed that a claim of adverse possession is a factual claim that must be specifically pleaded and put in issue at the trial stage: a party cannot spring it for the first time in appeal, because the other side is denied a fair chance to lead evidence and rebut it. Since neither the plaint nor the written statement ever raised adverse possession, the First Appellate Court had no basis to invent and decide that issue on its own, and the High Court was right to set that decision aside and restore the trial court's dismissal of the suit.
In civil litigation, you must plead your entire case, including alternative claims like adverse possession, at the outset; a court will not let you raise a brand-new factual claim for the first time on appeal, no matter how compelling it may later appear from the record.
