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 moreIn a Zila Panchayat election in Uttarakhand, the respondent's nomination was rejected by the Returning Officer over alleged non-disclosure requirements, and his challenge to that rejection was dismissed by a Single Judge of the High Court. The appellant was then declared elected unopposed after the only other candidates, including the respondent, were disqualified. The respondent then filed an intra-court appeal (without even making the newly-elected appellant a party), and the Division Bench stayed the Single Judge's order and directed that the respondent be allowed to contest after all.
The Supreme Court set aside the Division Bench's order, holding that Article 243-O of the Constitution places a firm bar on courts entertaining challenges to Panchayat elections except through the specific statutory route of an "election petition": here, available under Section 131H of the Uttarakhand Panchayati Raj Act. The Court held the High Court had no business staying an election process or a Single Judge's dismissal on this ground, particularly without even hearing the person (the appellant) who had already been declared elected and stood to lose the most.
Disputes over rejected nominations or election results in Panchayat (local self-government) elections must go through the special election-petition process created by law, not through writ petitions. Courts are constitutionally barred from short-circuiting that process, even in cases claiming procedural unfairness.
