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 appellant had been convicted in a corruption case by the Special Court for Prevention of Corruption, Coimbatore, and had filed a criminal appeal before the Madras High Court. After repeated adjournments at his counsel's request, the High Court finally took up the appeal and decided it on merits even though no one appeared for the appellant that day, discussing the prosecution's evidence but not the defence evidence. The appellant then approached the Supreme Court, arguing he had been denied a fair opportunity to argue his case.
The Supreme Court held that, in the interest of justice, the appellant deserved a chance to argue his case before the High Court, even though he could not blame the High Court for deciding the matter after he failed to appear on the last chance given. It set aside the High Court's judgment, allowed the appeal, and revived the original Criminal Appeal No. 805/2011 before the Madras High Court for a fresh hearing, directing the appellant to appear with counsel on 12 June 2018 and asking the High Court to dispose of it expeditiously. As a condition for this fresh opportunity, the appellant was ordered to pay Rs. 25,000 in costs to a government-run Deaf-and-Dumb School in Thanjavur, and the interim suspension of sentence originally granted at the admission stage was revived pending the fresh disposal.
An appellate court deciding an appeal on merits in the complete absence of the appellant's side, even after genuine adjournments sought by the appellant's own counsel, can be reopened by a higher court if it risks an unfair, one-sided hearing; such relief, however, often comes with a costs condition rather than as an unconditional fresh chance.
