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 appellant had been granted an exemption under Section 20 of the Urban Land (Ceiling and Regulation) Act, 1976 for a Mumbai plot, on condition that a percentage of the permissible floor space be surrendered as flats to Government-nominated allottees. Over the years, the applicable quota was revised by a corrigendum (from 30% to 20%) and the appellant disputed whether a further reduction to 10% (via an unauthenticated circular) applied, while the State said she had executed an indemnity bond in 1998 agreeing to surrender more flats within five years. When she surrendered only 7 of the required flats, the authorities threatened criminal prosecution and the Bombay High Court dismissed her challenge to the demand.
The Supreme Court found no authenticity in the 1992 circular that the appellant relied on to claim her quota had been reduced to 10%, and held that the binding figure was the 20% fixed by the 1990 corrigendum, reinforced by her own 1998 indemnity bond agreeing to surrender the balance area. Since she had handed over only 7 flats against the 20% requirement, the Court calculated she still owed 11 more flats. It allowed the appeal in part, set aside the High Court's order, modified the Additional Commissioner's 2006 order, and directed the appellant to sell 11 more flats within four months to Government-nominated allottees who must belong to the weaker section of society, while declining to take action regarding the earlier 7 flats that had already been improperly sold to non-weaker-section nominees.
When a statutory exemption comes with surrender conditions, the party's own later undertakings (like an indemnity bond) and the authenticated government corrigendum will be treated as binding over an unauthenticated circular relied upon to claim a lower obligation: informal documents without proper authentication carry little weight against formally issued and acknowledged conditions.
