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 appellants were declared the highest bidders in an e-auction conducted by the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) for an industrial plot in Aurangabad, but MIDC later cancelled the entire bidding process citing unspecified complaints. The appellants' writ petition against this cancellation was dismissed by the Aurangabad Bench of the Bombay High Court, while, confusingly, the Principal Bench of the very same High Court had earlier ruled, on essentially identical facts involving other bidders for different plots, that the cancellation was improper and restored their bids.
The Supreme Court found it untenable for two benches of the same High Court to reach contradictory conclusions on the same underlying issue. Relying on precedent that a fair public auction cannot be second-guessed absent proof of fraud, collusion, or genuine irregularity, the Court held that MIDC's cancellation was not justified and that the Principal Bench's more favourable ruling, which had already attained finality since MIDC did not challenge it, should be applied uniformly. It set aside the Aurangabad Bench's order and directed MIDC to complete the allotment and execute the sale deed to the appellants once they pay the balance amount within four weeks.
A government body cannot cancel a public auction and deny the highest bidder the benefit of their bid without proof of fraud or serious irregularity, and courts must ensure consistency, so that the same legal question is not decided differently for different citizens by the same court.
