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 moreThe parties, a husband and wife, were engaged in prolonged litigation over custody of their minor son. The Supreme Court had facilitated mediation, and in August 2017 the parties, assisted by counsel and the Additional Solicitor General, reached a settlement on custody and visitation, with all pending litigation between them stayed. The parties later appeared again before the Court with the child, having reached full agreement on visitation and custody terms, and jointly asked the Court to grant them a divorce by mutual consent to finally end the dispute.
Satisfied that the parties had made a free and conscious decision, the Court granted a decree of divorce by mutual consent under Section 10A of the Indian Divorce Act, 1869, and made the earlier settlement part of the judgment. It directed the parties to strictly abide by the settlement, closed related proceedings pending before the Family Court at Rangareddy District in terms of that settlement, and restrained either party from instituting any fresh litigation over matters covered by the settlement without the Court's permission. The appeal was disposed of with no order as to costs.
Where estranged spouses genuinely reach a comprehensive settlement on custody and other disputes, courts can use that agreement to grant a clean, final mutual-consent divorce and shut down parallel litigation, sparing the family (and especially the child) years of continued conflict.
