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 302 IPC and sentenced to life imprisonment for killing his own father during the night of 1 December 2003. There was no eyewitness; the prosecution case rested on circumstantial evidence: a witness who had given the appellant a torch shortly before the killing, another witness who placed him near the fields with an axe, recovery of blood-stained clothes (confirmed by FSL report) at the appellant's instance, and his conduct of absconding until arrest in March 2004 and staying away from his father's funeral.
The Supreme Court held that the chain of circumstantial evidence was complete and conclusive. It found that motive was established through the appellant's grudge over a share in his father's agricultural land, that two witnesses' testimony cumulatively placed him at the scene, that no explanation was offered for blood found on his clothes, and that his absconding and absence from the funeral rites were additional incriminating circumstances contrary to normal human conduct. Finding no reason to interfere with the conviction, the Court dismissed the appeal and upheld the life sentence.
In the absence of direct eyewitnesses, Indian courts can and do convict on a complete and consistent chain of circumstantial evidence, and conduct such as absconding or staying away from a close relative's funeral can be treated as an additional factor pointing to guilt.
