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 moreA plaintiff sued claiming ownership of a property based on a registered sale deed, seeking an injunction against the defendants (who claimed the property had instead devolved to them through an earlier family partition). The trial court and the first appellate court both dismissed the plaintiff's suit, finding the sale deed relied on was only a nominal/security document and that a family partition arrangement governed the property. The Karnataka High Court, however, reversed these concurrent findings in a Second Appeal and decreed the suit in the plaintiff's favour, prompting the original defendants to appeal to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court held that the High Court had exceeded its limited jurisdiction under Section 100 of the Code of Civil Procedure by re-appreciating evidence and overturning concurrent factual findings of two lower courts without there being a genuine "substantial question of law," which is the only basis on which such interference is permitted. On the merits, the Court also found the unregistered family partition document (a "Palupatti") did not require registration and could at minimum be used as corroborative evidence of an admitted oral partition, while the sale deed relied upon by the plaintiff did not bind one family member who had never signed it. The Court restored the judgments of the trial court and first appellate court, dismissing the plaintiff's suit with no costs.
A High Court cannot reopen settled facts in a Second Appeal just because it disagrees with the lower courts' appreciation of evidence: it may only interfere where a genuine substantial question of law exists; and an unregistered family settlement document can still carry legal weight as corroborative proof of how family property was actually divided.
