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 husband ("father") and wife ("mother") married in 2010 had a bitter matrimonial breakdown, with the mother moving to the UK in 2021 with their daughter while their young son remained in India with his maternal grandfather (the lead appellant). The father, unable to get honest information about his son's whereabouts despite UK court orders for video-call access, filed a habeas corpus petition before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which eventually granted him interim custody of the son; the grandparents and related family members then appealed to the Supreme Court, alongside connected contempt petitions arising from the UK and Indian proceedings.
After personally interacting with the child and reviewing both the UK High Court's and the Indian High Court's orders, the Supreme Court found the mother's conduct, concealing the son's location, misrepresenting video calls as originating from the UK when they were from India, and not informing the father of the child's whereabouts: deeply troubling and against the child's welfare. Applying the settled "best interest of the child" standard from precedents like Lahari Sakhamuri and Rajeswari Chandrasekar Ganesh, the Court held the father, a qualified professional with stable means and residence in Noida, should retain custody, and dismissed the appeal. It gave detailed directions: custody to be handed to the father within 15 days, parties to initiate formal guardianship proceedings under the Guardians and Wards Act within a month, structured video and in-person visitation rights for the mother and maternal grandparents, a bar on removing the child from India without court leave, and monitoring by the local Juvenile Justice Board/Child Welfare Committee. All connected contempt petitions were disposed of accordingly.
In child custody disputes, courts prioritize the child's demonstrated welfare and stability over the technical or emotional claims of either parent, and a parent's dishonesty about a child's whereabouts or misuse of court-ordered contact arrangements can decisively affect the custody outcome.
