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 moreThis is an interim order (not a final judgment) in a death-sentence appeal arising from a Patna High Court judgment confirming a death reference and dismissing a related criminal appeal. The Supreme Court granted leave and, pending final hearing, stayed execution of the death sentence against the appellants Aman Singh and Sonal Singh. The Court then used the occasion to address a recurring systemic problem it has observed across death penalty cases: mitigating-circumstances reports for convicts are often not collected early enough in the trial or High Court stages, and legal representation in such cases is frequently inadequate.
Rather than deciding the appeal's merits, the Court issued extensive procedural directions. It ordered Bihar's prison authorities and probation officers to prepare reports on the appellants' conduct, work, and psychological evaluation within 16 weeks, and permitted mitigation investigators from NALSAR University's Square Circle Clinic confidential access to interview the appellants in jail. Citing its earlier decision in Manoj v. State of Madhya Pradesh, the Court directed that going forward, trial courts must call for mitigating/aggravating-circumstances reports at the sentencing stage itself (not first at the Supreme Court appeal stage), that High Courts must call for such reports if missing when a death reference is admitted, and that Legal Services Committees must assign a dedicated legal team (one senior counsel plus two experienced advocates) to every death-reference case regardless of whether private counsel is engaged. It also directed NALSAR and the National Legal Services Authority to develop standardized guidelines for gathering mitigation information.
In death penalty cases, Indian courts are now required to systematically investigate a convict's background, mental health, and potential for reform at the earliest stage of trial, not just at the final appellate stage, and every death-referred convict is entitled to a dedicated, adequately experienced legal team as a matter of course, reflecting the principle that death sentencing must be individualized and evidence-based, not purely retributive.
