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 Jharkhand High Court had initiated contempt proceedings against the appellant, an advocate, convicted him of criminal contempt under the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, and sentenced him to six months' simple imprisonment, also directing the Bar Council of India to take action against him and barring him from court practice (except chamber practice) within that High Court's jurisdiction until he purged the contempt. When admitting his appeal in December 2007, the Supreme Court had stayed the sentence of imprisonment. Over the following years, the Bar Council of India dropped its own disciplinary proceedings against the appellant on account of his serious ill-health following an accident, and the appellant was also no longer practising within the Jharkhand High Court's jurisdiction.
Taking note of the appellant's documented adverse health condition and the fact that the Bar Council had already dropped its proceedings against him on the same grounds, and noting that he was in any case not practising within the respondent High Court's jurisdiction, the Supreme Court held that the interests of justice would be served by making the 2007 interim stay absolute rather than continuing the matter further. It accordingly vacated the portion of the High Court's order imposing the sentence of imprisonment, while disposing of the appeal. The appeal was treated as partly allowed, meaning the imprisonment sentence was set aside but the case was not reopened for a fresh merits determination of the contempt finding itself.
Courts can show practical compassion in long-pending matters where a litigant's serious health circumstances and changed situation (such as ceasing to practise in the relevant jurisdiction) make continued punishment unnecessary to serve the interests of justice, even where the underlying contempt finding is not itself overturned.
