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-wife and respondent-husband married in 1999 and had a daughter in 2006. The wife obtained a divorce decree from the Family Court in 2011, which also gave her permanent custody with weekend visitation for the husband. The husband appealed, and the High Court remanded the custody question to the Family Court as a purely interim arrangement pending further proceedings, prompting the wife's appeal to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court recorded that it had tried several rounds of conciliation between the parties, and that the husband, having given up hope of reconciliation, was now willing to proceed with a mutual-consent divorce on agreed terms covering custody. The Court substituted the High Court's judgment with its own order: it directed that the existing interim custody arrangement (father gets the child on the first three Saturdays of each month, 10 a.m.-8 p.m., from April 2016) continue as a temporary measure, while the Family Court was directed to finally settle custody and the divorce itself, preferably within six months. The husband's earlier offer to deposit Rs.50,000/month plus a lump sum of Rs.5,00,000 for the child's maintenance was to continue.
In contested custody disputes, courts will often use interim, periodically-reviewed visitation arrangements to protect the child's welfare while the underlying case proceeds, and will actively encourage parents to prioritize the child's interests over their own disputes rather than leaving the child in prolonged uncertainty.
