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 case concerned the selection and appointment of 1,248 Patwaris (village-level land record officers) in Haryana, a process that began back in 1992. The Punjab and Haryana High Court had set aside that selection in 2005 but allowed everyone to compete again in a fresh selection with age relaxation. A separate group of similarly situated candidates had taken the same issue to the Supreme Court, which in 2007 (in Ram Avtar Patwari vs State of Haryana) sent the whole matter back to the High Court for fresh consideration; the High Court then re-decided the matter in 2009, allowing the originally selected 1,248 Patwaris to continue in their posts while giving others the chance to compete in subsequent fresh selections. The appellants in this case, who had separately challenged the original 2005 High Court judgment, argued their cases should still be decided independently.
The Supreme Court rejected the appellants' argument that their claims needed separate consideration, holding that the 2005 judgment they were challenging had already been overturned and superseded by the Supreme Court's own 2007 ruling, followed by the High Court's fresh 2009 decision, which was never itself challenged. Given that the selection dispute originated all the way back in 1992 and two further selection rounds had already taken place in the interim, the Court held that this protracted litigation needed to be brought to a final close ("given a quietus"), endorsing the pragmatic approach the High Court had taken in 2009. The appeals were accordingly dismissed.
Courts will decline to reopen settled service-selection disputes that have already been remanded and conclusively re-decided through proper channels, especially where a recruitment dispute has dragged on for decades and intervening selections have already taken place: at some point litigation over a stale appointment process must end.
