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 moreThis civil appeal (Civil Appeal No. 4511 of 2019, arising from a Regular Second Appeal decided by the Punjab and Haryana High Court on 7 March 2014) was one of three connected appeals between the same families over a long-running property dispute. Rather than continue litigating, the parties on both sides negotiated and signed two formal Settlement Deeds (dated 15 January 2019 and 24 April 2019) to put an end to their dispute, and jointly approached the Supreme Court to record and give effect to this settlement.
The Supreme Court granted leave to appeal and then disposed of the appeal strictly in terms of the parties' own Settlement Deeds, directing that the deeds would form part of its order. It made no independent findings on the merits of the underlying property dispute, since the parties themselves had already resolved it; the Court simply directed the Registry to draw up the formal decree in accordance with the settlement terms. Two companion appeals between the same families (Civil Appeal Nos. 4512 and 4513 of 2019), arising from related second appeals in the same litigation, were disposed of in the same manner on the same day.
Parties to a long-pending civil dispute can bring litigation to a close at any stage, even after reaching the Supreme Court, by mutually agreeing to a settlement: the Court will readily give legal effect to a genuine, voluntary compromise rather than forcing the parties through a full contested hearing.
