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 moreA dispute over land in Meghalaya began when the Subordinate District Council Court granted an ex-parte ad-interim injunction against the appellants. The District Council Court initially stayed that injunction on appeal but later set it aside. The respondent then filed a Civil Revision Petition before the Gauhati High Court (Shillong Bench), which held that the original appeal itself was not maintainable because it had been filed within 30 days of the order, applying Order 39 Rule 3A of the Code of Civil Procedure, and set aside the appellate order.
The Supreme Court held that the High Court erred by applying the ordinary Code of Civil Procedure's 30-day bar without considering Rule 28 of the United Khasi-Jaintia Hills Autonomous District (Administration of Justice) Rules, 1953, which independently permits such an appeal without that 30-day precondition. The Court clarified that the question of whether parties have legal representation is irrelevant to whether the letter of the CPC applies in these autonomous district courts. Since Rule 28 made the appeal maintainable on its own terms, the Division Bench's reasoning was held to be the "basic error" in the judgment. The Supreme Court allowed the appeal, set aside the High Court's order dated 27 April 2012, and restored the District Council Court's order dated 9 March 2010.
Special local or customary procedural rules (such as those applicable in the Sixth Schedule autonomous district areas) can override the general timelines of the Code of Civil Procedure, so litigants and courts in such areas must check for applicable special rules before assuming ordinary CPC deadlines apply.
