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 Will executed in 1961 by Surjan Singh Randhawa bequeathed Kolkata property to one daughter, Gian Hanspal; probate of this Will was granted by the Calcutta High Court in 1982 on the strength of "no objection" certificates said to be signed by, among others, the other daughter, Beena Kumari Mehra (the appellant's predecessor). Years later, the appellant sought revocation of that 1982 probate, arguing that no citation (formal notice) had ever been issued to Beena Kumari Mehra and that her alleged "no objection" was doubtful, especially since she had separately filed a partition suit in 1984 without ever mentioning the probate proceedings. Both a Single Judge and a Division Bench of the Calcutta High Court rejected the revocation application.
The Supreme Court found the circumstances surrounding the 1982 probate deeply suspicious: no citation was issued to a person who stood to be disinherited, there was no proof the "no objection" certificate was genuinely informed consent, and the conduct of filing a later partition suit without any reference to the probate proceedings suggested Beena Kumari Mehra was unaware of them. Relying on precedent that a stale Will propounded decades later demands particular caution, the Court held that a citation ought to have been issued under Section 283 of the Indian Succession Act, and that the probate was accordingly liable to be revoked. It allowed the appeal, set aside both High Court orders, revoked the 1982 probate, and revived the original probate application before the Single Judge for fresh consideration on merits, while leaving a related purchaser's claims to be dealt with in those revived proceedings.
In probate matters, courts take seriously the requirement to formally notify (cite) all persons who could be adversely affected by a Will before granting probate: a "no objection" certificate alone is not a safe substitute, especially for an old Will propounded long after the testator's death.
