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 had earlier won a suit for specific performance of an agreement to sell agricultural land in Bathinda, Punjab, with a 2012 decree directing execution of the sale deed once he deposited the balance sale consideration; this decree was upheld on first appeal in 2015. The appellant, however, only filed an execution petition in 2017 and deposited the balance amount (Rs. 4,87,000) in 2019, well after delays on his part. The executing court allowed him to deposit the balance and proceed, but the High Court of Punjab and Haryana set that order aside on a revision petition filed by the defendants, prompting this appeal to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court held that a decree of specific performance can be executed within 12 years of the decree (or of an appellate court's affirmation of it), and that a decree holder is not automatically barred from execution merely because he deposits the balance sale consideration later than expected, so long as it is within a reasonable time and the appellate court itself did not fix a strict deadline. The Court found the High Court was wrong to interfere with the executing court's order. However, recognising the genuine delay (about 2 years in filing execution and about 4 years in depositing the balance), the Court balanced fairness by directing the appellant to pay the defendants simple interest at 9% per annum on the delayed balance amount, calculated from the appellate court's judgment until the date of deposit. The appeal was allowed and the executing court's order restored, subject to this interest condition.
Delay in executing a specific-performance decree or depositing the balance sale price is not automatically fatal to a buyer's rights. Courts can still allow execution within the statutory limitation period, but may impose interest to compensate the other side fairly for the time lost.
