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 son filed a criminal complaint against his father, brother, and brother-in-law alleging they had cheated and forged his signature to misappropriate shares that were jointly held in his and his brother's names. The accused sought discharge, arguing that the shares had always been funded and held by the father, with documentary bank records to back this up. Courts below (the Magistrate and the Allahabad High Court) refused to discharge the accused or quash the complaint, treating ownership as a disputed question of fact for trial.
Applying the Supreme Court's established test from Rajiv Thapar v. Madan Lal Kapoor for quashing proceedings under Section 482 CrPC, the Court found the accused's documentary material, bank records showing the father funded the original 1993 share purchase, was sound and essentially unrefuted, while the complainant's allegations were vague and unsupported. The Court also noted the complaint was filed only after the father had publicly disowned the complainant and filed civil proceedings against him, suggesting it was a retaliatory "counter blast." The appeal was allowed, the complaint quashed, and the complainant was directed to pay Rs. 25,000 in costs to each appellant for initiating frivolous litigation.
Criminal complaints filed as a retaliatory tactic in a family property dispute can be thrown out at an early stage, and pursued without real evidentiary basis, a complainant risks being ordered to pay costs for frivolous litigation.
