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 moreAfter the husband obtained an ex-parte divorce decree, the Family Court had directed that the couple's young son be admitted to a boarding school in New Delhi, and the Allahabad High Court's interim orders required the boy to stay there except during summer vacations with his mother. The mother, who lived with the child at her parental home in Shahjanpur, appealed to the Supreme Court after the boy, then about 10 years old, refused to return to the Delhi boarding school following his vacation and was instead continuing his studies at his old school in Shahjanpur.
The Supreme Court personally interacted with the child, who expressed a clear preference to continue studying at his familiar school in Shahjanpur near his mother, and held that treating the welfare of the child as paramount, he could not be compelled to join the Delhi boarding school. It therefore set aside the High Court's orders directing the boy's admission to the Delhi school, held the mother had not violated any direction by keeping him in Shahjanpur, and also struck down a direction forcing the mother to elect only one forum for maintenance, as inconsistent with law. The Court granted the father visitation rights on Sundays and public holidays when he visits Shahjanpur, and requested the High Court to dispose of the pending first appeal on the divorce decree itself as expeditiously as possible.
In child custody and schooling disputes, the welfare and genuinely expressed wishes of the child, not rigid prior court directions or a parent's preference, are the paramount and decisive consideration for the courts.
