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 appellant, a cotton-ginning trader from Salem, Tamil Nadu, entered into a business arrangement with a yarn mill to supply cotton lint for conversion into yarn. He alleged that the mill's management sold off the entrusted cotton lint and misappropriated the proceeds, and also forged his letterheads and cheque leaves, leading him to file a criminal complaint for cheating and criminal breach of trust. The Madras High Court quashed the criminal proceedings, reasoning the dispute was essentially commercial and that the appellant's remedy lay in a civil suit, partly because he had earlier withdrawn and refiled his complaint.
The Supreme Court held that there is no bar in law against filing a second complaint on the same facts unless the first complaint was dismissed on merits after a full inquiry, which was not the case here. It further held that while a mere breach of contract is not a crime, allegations of forgery and deception at the inception of a transaction can constitute cheating and criminal breach of trust, and it is not for the High Court to weigh the correctness of such allegations at the quashing stage: that is a matter for trial. Finding that the complaint did disclose a prima facie criminal offence, the Court set aside the High Court's quashing order and directed the police to continue investigation.
A business dispute can still amount to a crime if there are specific allegations of fraud or forgery at the very start of the dealing, and courts should not short-circuit a criminal investigation at the quashing stage merely because a civil remedy also exists.
