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, a tenant, had a decree for possession and arrears of rent passed against her by the Trial Court in 1981, which was affirmed by the First Appellate Court and then by the High Court in second appeal in 2003. An execution petition to enforce the decree was filed only in 2006. The tenant argued the execution petition was time-barred because it was not filed within 12 years of the original Trial Court judgment.
The Supreme Court held that the question was already settled by a three-judge bench decision in Chandi Prasad v. Jagdish Prasad, which recognised the "doctrine of merger", once an appeal is entertained and decided on merits by a higher court, the original decree merges into the appellate decree, and only the latter becomes enforceable, regardless of whether the appellate order affirmed, modified or reversed the lower court. Since the Trial Court's decree had been affirmed successively by the First and Second Appellate Courts, limitation ran from the High Court's 2003 judgment, not the Trial Court's 1981 judgment. As the execution petition was filed within the limitation period counted from the High Court's decree, it was not time-barred, and the appeal challenging the execution was dismissed.
When a decree is appealed and the appellate court decides the matter on its merits, the clock for enforcing (executing) that decree generally restarts from the date of the appellate decision, not the original trial court judgment: this is the "doctrine of merger."
