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 husband and wife married in 2000 but lived together for barely two and a half months before the wife moved to Canada, obtained Canadian citizenship, and the marriage effectively broke down. The couple spent nearly two decades in multiple rounds of litigation, including divorce proceedings, without resolution, and the matter reached the Supreme Court in an appeal arising from those proceedings.
The Supreme Court found that the marriage was a "dead letter" that had caused ongoing emotional trauma to both parties, and that there was no realistic prospect of reconciliation after two decades of conflict. Relying on its special constitutional power under Article 142 to do "complete justice," the Court exercised its extraordinary jurisdiction to grant a decree of divorce directly, rather than remitting the matter for further proceedings in the ordinary courts. It allowed the appeal, dissolved the marriage with immediate effect, and directed that the existing maintenance of Rs. 7,500 per month continue to be paid by the husband to the wife, leaving it open to either side to later seek enhancement or reduction.
The Supreme Court can use its special Article 142 power to grant a divorce directly and end a marriage that has irretrievably broken down, even where ordinary divorce law may not provide a straightforward route, but this exceptional power is reserved for rare cases, not routine use.
