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 landlord (Shrikant) sued his tenant for eviction and recovery of rent, which the Trial Court granted, finding a valid landlord-tenant relationship and a valid quit notice. The First Appellate Court reversed this, holding the landlord had not proved the tenancy, though it upheld the validity of the termination notice. The landlord then filed a second appeal before the Madhya Pradesh High Court, which framed two specific substantial questions of law for consideration.
The Supreme Court found that the High Court, instead of answering the two substantial questions of law it had itself framed, went off on a different tangent and examined the validity of the quit notice: an issue that was not even before it and on which no question of law had been framed. Holding this approach legally unsustainable, the Supreme Court set aside the High Court's judgment and the connected review order, and remitted the second appeal back to the High Court to be decided afresh strictly on the substantial questions of law it had originally framed, after hearing both sides. The Court expressly clarified it had not expressed any view on the merits.
A court deciding a second appeal must confine itself to the substantial questions of law it has formally framed; deciding the case on an unrelated point not raised as a framed question is a procedural error that can get the judgment set aside and sent back for a fresh decision.
