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 moreSundaram Finance had financed a lorry purchase, and when the borrower defaulted, it obtained an ex-parte arbitral award of about Rs. 12.69 lakh. It tried to execute this award directly in a court in Morena, Madhya Pradesh (where the borrower/assets were), but the trial court returned the execution application, holding that the award first had to be executed in the court with jurisdiction over the arbitration itself, with the decree then formally "transferred" to Morena. Different High Courts across India had taken conflicting views on this exact question, so the finance company approached the Supreme Court directly.
The Supreme Court resolved the conflict among High Courts on whether an arbitral award must first be filed/executed in the court having jurisdiction over the arbitration before being transferred elsewhere, or whether it can be filed directly for execution wherever the judgment-debtor's assets are located. Analysing Sections 36, 38 and 42 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 alongside Sections 37-39 and 46 of the CPC, the Court held that an award is only deemed to be a decree for enforcement purposes: no court actually "passes" the decree in the case of an award, so there is no originating court from which a transfer is required. It held that Section 42 (jurisdiction over arbitral proceedings) has no bearing here because the arbitral proceedings terminate once the final award is made. The Court endorsed the view of the Delhi, Kerala, Madras, Rajasthan, Allahabad, Punjab & Haryana and Karnataka High Courts (execution can be filed directly wherever assets are located) over the contrary view of the Madhya Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh High Courts, allowed the appeal, and restored the execution application at Morena.
A person who has won an arbitration award can go straight to the court where the loser's assets are located to enforce it: they do not need to first get a decree "transferred" from the court that had jurisdiction over the arbitration itself, since an award is only treated like a decree for execution purposes, not an actual decree of any particular court.
