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, a woman who had inherited a hotel property from her late father, alleged that her estranged husband and his associates forcibly tried to take over the property using a power of attorney and gift deed she disputed, along with an ex parte civil injunction, and that they trespassed, vandalised the premises, and disabled its CCTV system. She filed an FIR against her husband and others, who then obtained anticipatory bail from the Bombay High Court.
The Supreme Court found that the High Court had granted anticipatory bail without properly weighing the gravity of the allegations or the fact that the accused had misled the trial court by concealing that the ex parte injunction they relied on had already been set aside on appeal. It also noted the accused's criminal antecedents (highlighted by the State) and that the husband had threatened witnesses, violating his bail conditions. Concluding that this was a clear-cut attempt by an estranged husband to forcibly dispossess his wife of her inherited property, the Court held it was not a case warranting anticipatory bail, quashed the High Court's order, cancelled the bail, and directed the accused to surrender within two weeks, while leaving them free to seek regular bail thereafter.
Anticipatory bail can be cancelled where the accused conceal material facts from the court or misuse the liberty (such as by threatening witnesses); courts are expected to scrutinise the gravity of allegations and need for custodial investigation rather than grant such bail mechanically.
