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 claimed he had agreed in 1987 to buy a plot in Gurgaon from the original owner (defendant no. 1) and had paid the price and taken possession, but the sale deed was never formally executed. In 2002 the original owner instead sold the same plot to two other people (defendants 2 and 3). The buyer sued for a declaration of ownership and injunction, but never specifically prayed for "specific performance" of the 1987 agreement in his plaint.
The trial court only granted a partial money-recovery decree; the first appellate court granted full relief including specific performance; the High Court reversed that and restored the trial court's limited decree. The Supreme Court agreed with the High Court that specific performance could not be granted because it was never actually prayed for in the plaint, and separately held the suit (filed in 2004, 17 years after the 1987 agreement and 10 years after the 1994 sale deed in favour of defendant no. 1) was also hit by limitation. The appeal was dismissed, though the defendants voluntarily agreed to pay the original plaintiff Rs. 10,00,000 as an ex-gratia goodwill payment to end the litigation.
A court cannot grant a specific relief (like specific performance of a sale agreement) unless that exact relief was actually prayed for in the lawsuit, and claims based on old, unregistered agreements can be defeated simply by waiting too long to sue.
