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 State acquired about 14.90 acres of the society's land under the old Land Acquisition Act, 1894, with an award made in February 1995 fixing compensation at about Rs. 35.5 lakh. That amount was never paid to the landowner and was instead deposited in the Government Treasury. While the society's challenge was pending in the Supreme Court, the 2013 Act came into force on 1 January 2014, and the society asked the Court to declare the acquisition lapsed.
The Court held that under Section 24(2) of the 2013 Act, acquisition proceedings lapse where the award was made more than five years before the Act and the compensation has neither been paid to the landowner nor deposited in court. Depositing money in the Government Treasury does not count as payment or as deposit in court, and a later deposit in the Reference Court made after the Act came into force also could not be treated as "deemed payment". Following Pune Municipal Corporation, Union of India v. Shiv Raj and Karnail Kaur, the Court set aside the High Court's judgment and held the acquisition lapsed as far as the appellant's land is concerned. It did not need to decide the disputed question of who was in physical possession.
If the government acquired private land many years ago but never paid the compensation to the owner or deposited it in court, the acquisition can lapse under the 2013 law. Parking the money in a government treasury account is not enough.
