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 claimed to have been the highest bidder in a 1990 municipal auction for a residential quarter in Nainital and occupied it from June 1990, but no allotment letter, acceptance letter, or proof of payment was ever produced. Decades later the Nagar Palika (municipal body) resolved to re-auction the quarter instead of executing a sale deed in his favour, and his subsequent administrative and High Court challenges were all dismissed.
The Supreme Court held that, in the absence of any allotment letter, proof of payment, or document of title, the appellant's possession since 1990 was that of a trespasser and not of a lawful auction-purchaser. Rather than remanding the matter for assessment of damages, the Court itself fixed the compensation payable to the Nagar Palika at Rs. 3,000 per month from June 1990 until vacant possession is handed over, balancing the equities between the parties. The appellant was given three months to vacate and pay the calculated damages, with liberty to the Nagar Palika to approach the Court again if he failed to comply.
Long, unchallenged occupation of property is not the same as legal ownership, without documentary proof of an allotment, sale, or payment, even decades of possession can be treated as trespass, and courts can calculate and award mesne-profit-style damages directly instead of sending the matter back for further proceedings.
