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 association, as plaintiff, had won two civil suits relating to a piece of land, one for a permanent injunction and one for arrears of rent, before the trial court. The first appellate court reversed both decrees in the defendants' favour, and the association's further second appeals and revision petitions to the Andhra Pradesh High Court were dismissed. Although the High Court had formally admitted the second appeals on three specific substantial questions of law, it went on to decide the case entirely on a different, unframed question about whether the plaintiff society had become "defunct."
The Supreme Court held that under Section 100 of the Code of Civil Procedure, a second appeal can only be decided on the substantial question(s) of law actually framed at admission, unless the High Court formally frames an additional question with reasons and gives the other side a chance to respond, as the proviso to Section 100(5) requires. Since the High Court here dismissed the appeals on an entirely different, unframed ground without following that procedure, its decision could not stand. The Court allowed the appeals, set aside the High Court's order, and remanded the second appeals and revision petitions for a fresh hearing restricted to the three originally framed questions, expressing no view on the actual merits.
A High Court cannot decide a second appeal by quietly substituting its own question for the one it originally admitted the case on: if it wants to consider a new legal question, it must formally frame it with reasons and let both sides argue it first.
