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 plaintiff sued for a permanent injunction to protect his possession of land he claimed to have inherited under a 1975 sale deed in his mother's name. The defendants disputed this, alleging the sale deed was fabricated and that the suit itself was fraudulent. Instead of using the Civil Procedure Code's specific mechanism for challenging a plaint (Order VII Rule 11, which allows a plaint to be rejected on defined legal grounds), the defendants went straight to the Madras High Court under its constitutional supervisory power (Article 227), which struck off the entire plaint after concluding it rested on forged documents.
The Supreme Court held this was improper. Where the Civil Procedure Code already provides a specific, complete remedy (here, Order VII Rule 11 for rejecting a plaint) a High Court's broader supervisory jurisdiction under Article 227 cannot be used as a shortcut around it, especially to strike off an entire plaint rather than merely trim an objectionable portion under the narrower Order VI Rule 16. The Court also noted that resolving whether the sale deed was genuine required a proper trial with evidence, not summary determination in a supervisory proceeding. The High Court's order was set aside, the suit restored to the trial court, with liberty for the defendants to file a proper Order VII Rule 11 application if they wish.
When a law provides a specific procedure to raise an objection, like challenging a lawsuit's validity, that specific route must ordinarily be used, rather than asking a higher court to intervene through its general supervisory powers as a shortcut.
