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 a property dispute, the Allahabad High Court (Lucknow Bench), while deciding a second appeal, held that the First Appellate Court's judgment was invalid because it had not separately framed "points for determination" as required by Order 41 Rule 31 of the Code of Civil Procedure. On that basis, the High Court sent the matter back to the First Appellate Court for a fresh decision, prompting the original appellants to challenge this before the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court disagreed with the High Court's rigid view that non-compliance with Order 41 Rule 31 automatically makes a judgment void. Relying on earlier precedent, it held that whether there has been substantial compliance must be judged based on the nature of the judgment in each case, and that the rule should be read together with Order 41 Rule 30, which does not require the appellate court to formally address points not actually raised by the appellant before it. Since no specific points were shown to have been ignored, the Court held there was no basis to invalidate the judgment purely for lacking a formal "points for determination" section, set aside the High Court's remand order, and allowed the appeal.
Procedural rules exist to serve justice, not to be applied so technically that minor formatting omissions in a court's judgment can nullify an otherwise sound decision: substantial compliance is enough when no real prejudice or omission is shown.
