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 moreK.R. Suresh had agreed in 2007 to buy a residential site in Bengaluru from R. Poornima and her family for Rs. 55,50,000, paying Rs. 20,00,000 as advance, with the balance due within four months before execution of the sale deed. When the sale did not go through, Suresh sued for specific performance of the contract. Both the trial court and the Karnataka High Court held that Suresh himself was neither ready nor willing to perform his part of the bargain and dismissed his suit, also upholding the sellers' forfeiture of the advance money he had paid.
The Supreme Court examined the legal distinction between "earnest money" (a guarantee of performance, forfeitable on default) and mere "advance money" (part-payment of price, not automatically forfeitable), and the limits under Section 22 of the Specific Relief Act, 1963 on claiming ancillary relief like refund of money without having specifically pleaded for it. It agreed with the concurrent findings below that Suresh was not ready and willing to perform the contract, and held that since he never amended his plaint to specifically pray for refund of the advance money, even though the law would have permitted such an amendment even at the appellate stage, he could not now claim that relief for the first time before the Supreme Court. The forfeiture of the advance was held justified, and the appeal was dismissed.
A litigant who wants a specific remedy, such as refund of money paid under a failed contract, must expressly ask the court for it and, if necessary, formally amend the pleadings to include that prayer; courts will not read such relief into a generic "any other relief" clause, and delay in asking for a specific remedy can mean losing the right to it altogether.
