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.
14543 more judgements for members
You're seeing the newest cases. Log in — it's free — to keep scrolling, search by name or judge, and filter by court or legal area.
Log in to see moreThe husband's divorce petition, filed in 2014 on grounds of cruelty under the Hindu Marriage Act, was dismissed by both the Family Court in Ranchi and the Jharkhand High Court, which found the alleged cruelty could not be sustained given the timeline of events, including the birth of the couple's second child (who was diagnosed with cerebral palsy and later passed away) shortly after the petition was filed. By the time the matter reached the Supreme Court, the couple had been living separately for over eleven years, with the couple's elder daughter in the husband's exclusive care and no custody or visitation claim ever pursued by the wife, who explained she had been consumed by caring for their disabled younger child while also working as a government employee.
The Supreme Court found the marriage completely and irretrievably broken down, noting failed mediation attempts and over a decade of separation with no prospect of reconciliation, and used its special power under Article 142 of the Constitution to dissolve the marriage directly, something the lower courts could not do since irretrievable breakdown is not itself a statutory ground for divorce under the Hindu Marriage Act. Even though the wife had never formally sought custody or visitation, the Court held she should not be permanently cut off from her daughter, as this would harm both mother and child, and granted her visitation rights two days a month at the husband's residence, at his expense, without deciding formal custody.
The Supreme Court can grant a divorce on the ground of irretrievable breakdown of marriage using its special constitutional power even though ordinary courts cannot, and can craft protective arrangements like visitation rights for a parent's benefit even without a formal petition, when the child's and parent's welfare require it.
