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 landlord sued his tenant for eviction from a rented house in Gorakhpur, alleging arrears of rent from January 1977 onwards under the U.P. Rent Act. The Trial Court, the Revisional Court, and later the High Court all ruled against the tenant and upheld the eviction decree. The tenant's legal heirs (he died during the litigation) appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing they were entitled to relief under Section 20(4) of the Act (which lets a tenant avoid eviction by paying up arrears at the first hearing).
The Supreme Court held that Section 20(4)'s protection does not apply here because of its proviso: the tenant's son (a "family" member under the Act) had built his own residential house in the same city, even though the son lived separately from his father. The Court rejected the argument that the proviso only applies if the family member lives with the tenant, finding the statutory language plain and unambiguous: three things must be shown (a family member built/acquired a house, it is vacant, and it's in the same city), and living arrangements are not a fourth requirement. The appeal was dismissed, but the appellants were given three months to vacate on condition of depositing the arrears and damages within two weeks.
Under rent-control laws with similar provisions, a tenant cannot claim protection from eviction for non-payment of rent if any family member (such as an adult son) has already built or acquired a vacant house in the same city: it does not matter whether that family member actually lives with the tenant.
