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 moreA husband and wife who had been living separately for over 20 years and litigating against each other for more than a decade, across multiple family court proceedings, criminal complaints, and a contempt petition, brought their dispute to the Supreme Court. Recognising that the real issue was the couple's matrimonial discord, the Court referred them to mediation. When that first attempt failed, the Court took the unusual step of calling the husband, wife, and their adult son to personally appear before it, and then requested senior advocate Salman Khurshid to help mediate a resolution involving the extended families who were also parties to some of the related cases.
With Mr. Khurshid's assistance, the parties reached a full settlement, signed by both sides and their counsel, agreeing to end their marriage and all connected litigation. Given the 20-year separation and the comprehensive settlement, the Supreme Court waived the usual statutory waiting period and granted a decree of divorce by mutual consent under Section 13B of the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955. It then quashed or dismissed every pending criminal case, family court application, appeal, and contempt petition between the parties (listing each one individually), directed both sides not to revive any of these disputes, and specifically directed the father to look after their son's education and career welfare going forward.
Even deeply entrenched, decades-long matrimonial and family litigation can sometimes be fully and finally resolved through court-assisted mediation and a comprehensive written settlement, and once parties reach such an agreement, courts can use it to clear away not just the main divorce case but every connected civil and criminal proceeding between them in one go, allowing both sides a genuine fresh start.
