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 Madras High Court had earlier directed the Third Additional Family Court, Chennai to dispose of the husband's matrimonial petition (HMOP No. 1606 of 2014) within three months. Almost a year later, the case still had not been disposed of, so the husband approached the Supreme Court. On an earlier hearing, the Supreme Court had called for a report from the Family Court explaining the delay.
The Family Court's report attributed the delay to the wife's non-cooperation, and noted the case was now proceeding, with the wife having filed her counter affidavit and the matter posted for 12 July 2016. The Supreme Court directed the Third Additional Family Court, Chennai to conduct the trial on a day-to-day basis and dispose of the matrimonial case on or before 31 August 2016, and directed the husband to produce a copy of the Supreme Court's judgment before the Family Court. The appeal, which sought to compel expeditious disposal, not a ruling on the merits of the matrimonial dispute itself, was disposed of on these terms with no order as to costs.
When a lower court repeatedly fails to meet a court-ordered deadline to dispose of a case, a party can approach a higher court to seek a fresh, firm deadline and a directive for day-to-day hearings: this is a practical remedy for delay even though it does not decide the underlying dispute itself.
