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 respondent had obtained an ex-parte decree for Rs.3 lakh against the appellant in a summary suit under Order XXXVII CPC, based on two dishonoured cheques said to be payment for a plot of land. The appellant, who failed to enter appearance in time (though summons had reached his wife), sought to set aside the decree, arguing that the plot described in the underlying power of attorney did not actually exist in the municipal records and the transaction therefore lacked lawful consideration. Both the trial court and the Delhi High Court rejected his application, finding no special circumstances to justify disturbing the decree.
The Supreme Court held that the appellant had raised a genuinely debatable issue (the alleged non-existence of the specific plot) that was fair to let him contest, so it allowed the appeal and set aside the ex-parte decree, but only conditionally, requiring the appellant to deposit the full Rs.3 lakh claimed (without interest or costs) within six weeks, in addition to the 50% he had already deposited under an earlier interim order. The Court expressly decided the specific question before it (whether leave to defend should be granted) in the appellant's favour, while making clear it was expressing no view on the ultimate merits of the underlying cheque/property dispute, which the trial court remains free to decide after a full trial, unconstrained by anything said in this order.
Getting an ex-parte decree in a summary suit set aside is not automatic: courts will usually only grant leave to defend where a genuinely debatable defence is shown, and even then typically on the condition that the disputed amount is deposited to protect the other side while the case proceeds to a full trial on the merits.
