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 appellants, the mother-in-law and sister-in-law of a deceased young married woman, were convicted by a Fast Track Court in Gujarat, and that conviction was upheld by the Gujarat High Court, for subjecting her to cruelty (Section 498A IPC) and abetting her suicide (Section 306 IPC) after she repeatedly fled her matrimonial home over several years due to alleged harassment and dowry demands, and ultimately died after consuming poison. The appellants challenged both the conviction and the accompanying sentence before the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court examined the evidence in detail, including testimony from the deceased's relatives and independent neighbours, and her own dying declaration, and agreed that the cruelty under Section 498A IPC was proved beyond reasonable doubt, given the repeated harassment, beatings, and expulsions from her matrimonial home over several years. However, the Court held the Section 306 (abetment of suicide) conviction could not stand because the deceased's own dying declaration stated she had consumed the poison "by mistake," and the accused had rushed her to hospital upon realizing her condition, which was inconsistent with an intention to abet her death; the Court relied on precedent holding that Sections 498A and 306 are distinct offences, and a 498A conviction does not automatically support a 306 conviction on the same facts. The Court therefore upheld the 498A conviction but set aside the 306 conviction, and, considering the appellants' ages and personal circumstances, reduced the sentence for the surviving 498A conviction to the period already undergone, directing their immediate release from Rajkot Central Prison.
Cruelty under Section 498A and abetment of suicide under Section 306 IPC are legally distinct offences requiring separate proof: evidence establishing sustained harassment does not, by itself, establish that the accused intended or caused the victim's suicide, particularly where the victim's own dying declaration describes the death as accidental.
