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 parties had been locked in civil litigation over disputed property since 2002, and over the years the dispute had spawned five separate pending criminal cases between them. When the matter reached the Supreme Court, the Court noted the possibility of settlement and referred the parties to a trained mediator, who spent more than 35 hours helping them negotiate.
The mediation succeeded, and the parties signed a Deed of Settlement dated 16 July 2018, which they placed before the Court along with an application for directions in terms of it. The Supreme Court quashed all five pending criminal cases between the parties in view of the settlement, directed the Sub-Registrar, Alipore to register transfer of the suit property in favour of the appellants (at the stamp duty rate applicable in 2002, given the long pendency), declared a specified 2005 Deed of Conveyance between other respondents cancelled as prayed, and directed the parties to abide by the settlement's terms. The appeal was disposed of accordingly, with no order as to costs.
Court-annexed mediation can fully and finally resolve even decades-old, multi-pronged civil and criminal litigation between the same parties: a negotiated settlement can lead to related criminal cases being quashed alongside the civil dispute being closed.
