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 moreThe appellant bought land in 1990 by a registered sale deed, not knowing that the land had earlier been declared "ceiling surplus" and taken over by the government, though it was declared ceiling-free again just months later, and the appellant's name was duly mutated in the revenue records. An ex-police officer (the original defendant) later illegally entered the land, prompting the appellant to sue for possession and declaration of title. After initial success, the trial court (on remand) and the first appellate court ultimately dismissed the suit, holding the vendor had no saleable right in 1990 since the land was government-owned at that time, and the High Court affirmed this in second appeal.
The Supreme Court allowed the appeal, holding that Section 43 of the Transfer of Property Act protected the buyer's rights: when a seller erroneously or fraudulently represents he has authority to transfer property and the land later ceases to be under that defect (here, the land became ceiling-free shortly after the sale), the sale becomes valid at the buyer's option, and the seller (or those claiming through him) cannot later deny the transfer. Since the vendor's own heirs never disputed the sale and only the trespassing defendant contested it, whose own claim to the land had already been finally rejected in earlier proceedings, the Court held the buyer's title was protected by this estoppel principle. It decreed the suit in full, restoring the buyer's title and ordering possession and a permanent injunction in his favour.
If a seller lacked full legal title at the time of sale but later acquires clean title to the same property (e.g., once a government restriction is lifted), the buyer's purchase is validated by law and the seller cannot turn around and deny the sale: a protection designed to stop a seller from profiting from his own earlier misrepresentation.
