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 moreDuring a marriage procession, an armed contract killer allegedly hired by the respondents shot and killed one man, Aman Yadav, and injured two others, amid an existing enmity between the families. The respondents (alleged masterminds who hired the shooter) were arrested after evading capture for months, and a supplementary chargesheet concluded they had conspired to kill the victim. The Rajasthan High Court nonetheless granted them bail on the ground that other, more peripheral co-accused had already been granted bail on similar allegations. The appellant (representing the victim's side) challenged this before the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court set aside the bail, holding that the High Court seriously erred in treating the respondents, described in the investigation as the masterminds who engaged the contract killer, as on the same footing as lesser co-accused whose bail had been granted on different, weaker considerations (such as one accused's advanced age). The Court emphasised that an FIR is only a starting point for investigation, not an exhaustive account, and that sufficient material collected during investigation (witness statements, weapon recovery, the accused's own prolonged evasion of arrest) showed active involvement in a planned killing, distinguishing their case from the co-accused. It directed the respondents to surrender within two weeks.
Bail "on parity" is valid only when the accused's role and the evidence against them are genuinely comparable to the co-accused already granted bail. Courts must scrutinise the actual evidence developed during investigation, not just superficial similarities in the charges.
