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 moreAfter the divorce of the appellant-mother and respondent-father, a long dispute arose over their daughter Aditi's custody and education. The father, having given up his claim for custody, pursued only a prayer that the child be sent to a good boarding school, which the Family Court and then the Jharkhand High Court (in pending appeals from both parents) progressively directed: ultimately ordering her admission to Good Shepherd International School, Ooty for the 2018-19 session. The mother challenged this school-admission direction before the Supreme Court, which had earlier declined to stay it, and the child had since been admitted and was already studying there.
The Supreme Court noted that the High Court's order directing admission to the Ooty school was itself an interim arrangement within the mother's and father's cross-appeals, which remained pending for final decision by the High Court. Since that interim order had already been given effect to (the child was settled in the school) and no fresh ground for interference was shown, the Supreme Court declined to disturb it, holding each custody/education matter must be decided on its own facts rather than any fixed formula. It directed the High Court to finally decide the pending First Appeals, taking into account the child's progress reports and any medical issues raised, and forwarded sealed-cover school and Child Welfare Committee reports to the High Court for that purpose. This civil appeal before the Supreme Court was accordingly disposed of, while the underlying custody appeals continue before the High Court.
In child custody matters, courts prioritize continuity and the child's settled welfare over disturbing an already-implemented interim arrangement, and there is no one-size-fits-all rule: each case turns on its own facts, with final disposition often left to the court best placed to track the child's ongoing circumstances.
