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 moreBetween 1998 and 2005, Bank of Maharashtra extended credit facilities to companies owned by the appellants, which later became Non-Performing Assets after a financial downturn (including the 2004 Surat floods). While the Bank pursued recovery before the Debt Recovery Tribunal, the CBI separately registered an FIR alleging the appellants had cheated the Bank using forged Letters of Credit. The appellants and the Bank eventually reached a One-Time Settlement, under which the appellants paid back more than the principal amount and received a "No Dues Certificate," but the CBI continued to press the criminal case even after a Magistrate initially discharged the appellants; the Gujarat High Court upheld continuation of the prosecution.
The Supreme Court quashed the FIR and chargesheet, holding that this dispute was overwhelmingly commercial and civil in character despite the criminal allegations. It noted that no bank official was ever found complicit, the Bank Manager was dropped from the chargesheet and the Prevention of Corruption Act charges were removed, and that the Bank itself, the only potentially aggrieved party, had no grievance left after the settlement and had in fact recovered more than what was owed. Applying its settled line of precedent on quashing criminal proceedings that are predominantly civil/commercial in nature and have been amicably resolved, and noting the settlement was finalised even before the chargesheet was filed, the Court found continuing the prosecution would cause the appellants unjust oppression with only a remote chance of conviction.
Where a dispute with a bank is essentially commercial, is genuinely settled, and no official complicity or ongoing loss to the bank is shown, criminal proceedings that piggyback on that commercial dispute can be quashed, but this depends heavily on the timing and completeness of the settlement, and on the nature of the alleged offence.
