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 had filed an earlier writ petition in 2016, which he withdrew while an appeal on a related matter was pending, and the High Court simply disposed of that petition as withdrawn (not dismissed). He later filed a second writ petition challenging a specific communication dated 3.9.2016, but the Bombay High Court held this second petition was not maintainable because he had withdrawn the earlier one without seeking the court's leave to file a fresh petition on the same cause of action.
The Supreme Court held that the earlier petition had been withdrawn only because of the pending appeal, which is why the High Court had disposed of it as "withdrawn" rather than dismissing it outright, and found that the specific prayer challenging the 3.9.2016 communication in the second petition had not actually been placed before the High Court when it ruled on maintainability. On that basis, the Court definitively held that the second writ petition was maintainable, set aside the High Court's judgment, and sent the matter back to the High Court with a direction to decide the writ petition on its merits: expressly clarifying that the Supreme Court itself had not examined or decided the merits of the underlying dispute.
Withdrawing an earlier court case does not automatically bar a later petition on a related but distinct grievance, especially where the withdrawal was for a specific, limited reason (like a pending related appeal) rather than an attempt to abandon and refile the same claim: courts will look at the real reason behind a withdrawal before shutting the door on a fresh petition.
