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 moreIn 1986, the original owner of a residential plot in Bangalore executed an irrevocable General Power of Attorney along with an unregistered agreement to sell in favour of one A. Saraswathi, for a stated consideration, and handed over possession. After the original owner died in 1997, the GPA-holder executed a registered sale deed in her own favour and later transferred the property to the appellants. Separately, the legal heirs of the original owner executed a registered gift deed over the same property in favour of another party (the respondent), triggering competing civil suits over title and possession that were decided against the appellants by the trial court and the Karnataka High Court.
The Supreme Court examined the GPA and the agreement to sell both independently and jointly, and reaffirmed settled law (following its earlier decision in Suraj Lamp) that a General Power of Attorney is merely a creation of an agency relationship, and neither a GPA nor an unregistered agreement to sell can, by itself or together, transfer ownership/title in immovable property, only a registered sale deed can do that. The Court also clarified when a finding on title in an earlier injunction suit operates as res judicata in later proceedings, holding that where title was directly and substantially in issue and necessary to grant the injunction, a separate declaratory prayer is not required for that finding to bind the parties. Applying this, the Court found no error in the High Court's judgment and upheld the dismissal of the appellants' claims, since they could not establish valid title through the unregistered instruments.
A General Power of Attorney combined with an unregistered agreement to sell does not transfer ownership of property: buyers relying on "GPA sales" instead of a registered sale deed risk losing the property entirely, no matter how long they have held possession or paid consideration.
