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 was convicted under Section 366-A IPC (inducement of a minor girl) for allegedly taking a young woman away from her family's custody with the intention of marrying her, after her family had earlier refused his proposal. The prosecution's case rested substantially on the victim's testimony, a doctor's estimate that she was 16-17 years old, and an eyewitness account of her being taken away in a jeep. The Trial Court and Revisional Court had both confirmed the conviction.
The Supreme Court found no evidence of any sexual advance or intent to seduce the victim, an essential ingredient of Section 366-A, and noted serious inconsistencies in the victim's own testimony (she admitted in cross-examination that she did not resist or try to escape, and had not previously disclosed her family's acquaintance with the accused). The medical evidence on her age was inconclusive since the examining radiologist was never examined in court, and the sole eyewitness could not identify the accused or the vehicle used. Concluding that the prosecution had not proven its case beyond reasonable doubt, the Court acquitted the appellant and set aside the conviction.
A conviction requires proof of each specific legal ingredient of the offence charged (here, intent to induce for illicit intercourse): suspicion, or evidence that could support more than one interpretation, is not enough, and courts must set aside convictions built on inconsistent or incomplete evidence.
