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, who claimed to have been assaulted inside a courtroom by a group including advocates while he was in judicial custody, filed a petition before the Allahabad High Court asking it to direct the police to add more serious charges (including attempt to murder) against the accused, frame charges against a named former judge, and take various other investigative steps. The High Court disposed of most of these prayers across two orders, essentially holding that the matter of which charges to frame was for the trial court to decide, while also directing police protection for the petitioner. The appellant then appealed to the Supreme Court by special leave, representing himself, seeking to overturn the High Court's orders and asking for additional relief not originally sought before the High Court.
The Supreme Court held that none of the High Court's observations would prevent the appellant from raising any of his contentions, including the demand for a Section 307 IPC (attempt to murder) charge, before the Trial Court, which remained free to frame or amend charges, or proceed against additional persons, if the evidence justified it. The Court clarified it was not endorsing the High Court's specific observations on the merits, leaving all such questions open for the Trial Court to decide on its own. It also noted that several of the appellant's demands in his Supreme Court petition (such as directing a different investigating agency, or punishing specific respondents) went beyond what had even been raised before the High Court, and declined to grant them, while choosing to overlook this procedural defect given the appellant was unrepresented. The appeal was disposed of with a direction that the trial in the underlying criminal case proceed and conclude expeditiously, with a copy of the order to be placed before the Trial Court.
When higher courts decline to interfere with how a police investigation or chargesheet was framed, it does not close the door on raising those same objections before the trial court: a trial court remains free to frame, amend, or add charges based on the evidence before it, regardless of what observations were made at the investigation-review stage.
