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 wordy quarrel on the night of 19 August 2005, the appellant struck the deceased on the head with a "farsi" (a type of blade/axe), killing him; a witness who tried to intervene was also injured. The trial court convicted the appellant under Section 302 IPC (murder) and sentenced him to life imprisonment, while his co-accused were later acquitted by the High Court for lack of evidence connecting them to the fatal blow. The High Court upheld the appellant's conviction and sentence, and he appealed to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court accepted the injured eyewitness's testimony (supported by medical evidence) establishing that the appellant struck the fatal blow, but re-examined the nature of the offence. It found that the killing occurred in a sudden quarrel/fight without premeditation, that only one significant blow was inflicted, and that the appellant had not taken undue advantage of the deceased, bringing the case within Exception 4 to Section 300 IPC (sudden fight without premeditation). The Court therefore modified the conviction from murder (Section 302 IPC) to culpable homicide not amounting to murder (Section 304 Part-I IPC), reduced the sentence to the period already undergone, and ordered the appellant's immediate release (if not required in any other case). The appeal was allowed to this extent.
A killing that occurs in a sudden, unpremeditated quarrel, without the accused taking undue advantage of the victim or acting with extraordinary cruelty, may be downgraded from murder to the lesser offence of culpable homicide, even where the fatal blow is clearly proved, because Indian criminal law distinguishes between a calculated killing and one born of a spontaneous fight.
