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 moreFollowing a 1991 village dispute over passing irrigation water through a field, two rival FIRs were lodged the same week - one by the appellants' side and a counter-FIR against them alleging assault with lathis and iron bars and firing by since-deceased co-accused Abdul Waris. The police's own investigation found the counter-complaint against the appellants false and closed it, but a magistrate rejected that closure report and summoned the appellants for trial, including under Section 307 IPC (attempt to murder). Decades later, in December 2022, the parties - who are fellow villagers - amicably settled the dispute, but the Allahabad High Court refused to quash the proceedings, wrongly reasoning that a Section 307 offence simply "cannot be compounded."
The Supreme Court clarified that quashing criminal proceedings under Section 482 CrPC (or Article 142) on the basis of a settlement is legally distinct from "compounding" an offence under Section 320 CrPC, and the mere presence of Section 307 IPC in the charge does not automatically bar quashing - courts must examine the actual nature of the injuries and weapons used to see if the charge is genuinely made out. Examining the medical evidence, the Court found only a fracture to a finger, no recoveries of any pellets, and no specific individual role attributed to the appellants (the firing was attributed solely to the now-deceased Abdul Waris), concluding the facts at most supported a lesser offence like Section 326 IPC, not one that seriously threatens society such that a settlement should be ignored. Given the police's own initial closure report, the 33-year passage of time, and the voluntary village-level compromise, the Court quashed the proceedings.
A criminal case is not automatically beyond settlement just because a serious-sounding charge like "attempt to murder" appears in the FIR - courts must look at the real nature of the injury and evidence, and genuine, voluntary settlements in essentially personal disputes can still lead to quashing even for non-compoundable offences.
