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 an earlier judgment dated 28.10.2020, the Supreme Court had awarded custody of the couple's son, Aditya, to his father, Perry Kansagra, who lives in Kenya, subject to conditions including obtaining a "mirror order" from a Kenyan court and giving the mother, Smriti, specified visitation and contact rights. The mother filed this application seeking to modify several of those conditions (e.g., more vacation time, more frequent calls, Kenya visits every two months), while a dispute also arose over whether the order obtained from the Nairobi High Court properly qualified as the required "mirror order."
The Court held that the Kenyan High Court's registration of the Indian judgment was sufficient compliance with the "mirror order" direction, given that Kenyan law treats such registration as the functional equivalent. It rejected most of the mother's requested modifications (restoring full vacation custody, more frequent video calls, bi-monthly Kenya visits at the father's expense) as unnecessary re-litigation of points already decided or as against the child's welfare and settled routine. It did grant one additional concession, an extra week's visit to Kenya each year coinciding with the child's birthday, at the father's expense, and accepted the father's undertakings on sharing school and medical information with the mother. Both miscellaneous applications were accordingly disposed of, with the original custody directions otherwise left intact.
In child-custody matters the Supreme Court exercises an ongoing supervisory (parens patriae) role even after the "final" judgment, but it will only fine-tune, not reopen, settled custody arrangements, and the child's welfare and stability take precedence over either parent's preferences.
