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.
14543 more judgements for members
You're seeing the newest cases. Log in — it's free — to keep scrolling, search by name or judge, and filter by court or legal area.
Log in to see moreA Chinese elevator-parts manufacturer and an Indian elevator-components supplier entered into a "Commission Processing Contract" in 2014. When a dispute arose under the contract, the Chinese company nominated a retired High Court judge as sole arbitrator, but the Indian respondent refused to consent, disputing both the facts and whether the dispute fell within the contract's scope. The petitioner then approached the Supreme Court under Section 11(5) of the Arbitration Act to have an arbitrator appointed, since the parties could not agree.
The core question was whether Clause 15 of the contract, an ambiguously translated "dispute handling" clause saying failed consultation should go "to the arbitration body for arbitration or the court", amounted to a valid arbitration agreement. The Supreme Court held that the clause gave the parties a choice between arbitration and litigation, and since the petitioner had clearly opted for arbitration, that choice had to be honoured, relying on its earlier reasoning in INDTEL Technical Services v. W.S. Atkins Rail Ltd. that emphasis should be placed on the parties' intention to resolve disputes by arbitration. The Court accordingly allowed the petition and appointed Justice Prakash Prabhakar Naolekar, a former Supreme Court judge, as the sole arbitrator to decide the dispute.
A contract clause offering "arbitration or the court" as alternative dispute-resolution routes is treated as a valid arbitration clause once either party elects arbitration: the other side cannot block that choice by insisting on litigation instead.
