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 moreIn 2004, V.N.A.S. Chandran agreed to sell property in Ooty to Mrs. S. Venila for Rs. 2.25 crore, with her husband holding a Power of Attorney for the deal. Partial payments were made (some cheques bounced and were later covered in cash), and the sale was linked to a pending family partition case among the seller's children. After a payment dispute and delays, the seller revoked the Power of Attorney and terminated the agreement; the buyer's husband had separately agreed to resell the same property to a third party and had also filed a police complaint accusing the seller of cheating. The buyers sued for specific performance of the sale.
The trial court had refused specific performance despite finding most facts in the buyers' favour, citing their lack of "clean hands." The High Court reversed this and ordered the sale to proceed. The Supreme Court restored the trial court's refusal, holding that: (1) the buyers had not shown continuous readiness and willingness to pay, since their cheques bounced for lack of funds and their eventual funding source was arranged only much later; (2) the husband's criminal complaint seeking money recovery, combined with inconsistent claims across different lawsuits about whether the deal had been assigned to a third party, showed the buyers were "blowing hot and cold" in bad faith; and (3) specific performance is a discretionary remedy, and after two decades, with the seller now elderly and the buyer's husband deceased, ordering the transfer would be inequitable. The buyers were allowed to withdraw the Rs. 1.4 crore they had deposited during litigation, with interest.
A buyer seeking court-ordered enforcement of a property sale must show genuine, continuous readiness and ability to pay, not just at the last moment, and must stay consistent in the legal positions taken across different proceedings. Courts can and will refuse this remedy to a party who acts in bad faith or comes to court with unclean hands, even years into a genuine dispute.
