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 homebuyer booked a flat in the builder's "Capetown" project in Noida in 2012, with possession promised by October 2013 (extendable by up to six months). The builder could not hand over possession on time and only issued a "Pre-Possession Letter" in October 2015 demanding over Rs. 12 lakh in various charges, which the buyer refused to pay, partly on the ground that the builder did not yet hold an Occupancy Certificate. The buyer filed a consumer complaint, and the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission partly allowed it, awarding her 8% simple interest as compensation for the delay from November 2013 until possession was actually offered, while allowing the builder some of the disputed charges.
The Supreme Court heard both sides and accepted the builder's argument that some delay was attributable to external factors (orders of the National Green Tribunal) and that the buyer herself had admitted the builder obtained the Completion Certificate by April 2016, after which she could not claim further delay-compensation. The Court therefore modified the Commission's order only on the period for which interest/compensation was payable, recalculating it to run from 1 May 2014 (accounting for the contractual 6-month grace period) to 30 April 2016, while keeping the Commission's awarded interest rate and other directions otherwise intact. The appeals were disposed of on this limited modification.
In builder-delay compensation disputes, courts will tie the compensation period strictly to the facts on record, including grace periods written into the agreement and the buyer's own admissions about when the project was actually completed, rather than simply upholding or rejecting the lower forum's award wholesale.
