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 moreTwo rival families had been litigating for over a century over who holds the hereditary "wahiwatdar pujari" rights (the right to perform puja, receive devotee offerings, and conduct the annual jatra) at the Amogasidda temple in Karnataka. The dispute traced back to a 1944 suit, followed by a fresh suit in 1982, with the trial court splitting rights between both families, the First Appellate Court ruling entirely for the respondents, and the High Court (after an earlier remand by the Supreme Court itself) ultimately deciding in favour of the respondents. The appellants challenged this final High Court decision, relying on an old 1901 decree in their ancestor's favour.
The Supreme Court dismissed the appeal, holding that its power under Article 136 is used sparingly, especially against concurrent findings of fact by two lower courts. It found the appellants' own predecessor had filed a 1944 suit for possession of the temple, itself an admission that they were not in possession, and then failed to pursue that claim for 36 years, undermining the value of the older 1901 decree. Revenue records showed only the respondents' ancestors connected to lands granted for the temple's upkeep, and even the appellants' own witness admitted facts supporting the respondents. The Court also held that the appellants' pleadings never specified when they took possession or began performing puja, so oral evidence could not fill that gap. Finding no perversity in the High Court's judgment, the appeals were dismissed with no order as to costs.
In property and rights disputes, courts place heavy weight on a party's own conduct over time, such as staying silent for decades instead of asserting a claim, and on official documentary evidence like revenue records, over an old decree that was never acted upon. The Supreme Court also rarely disturbs concurrent factual findings reached by two lower courts.
