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 morePrema Devi died an unnatural death by burning at her in-laws' house about four months after her marriage to Bhim Singh in 1997. Her brother lodged an FIR alleging that she had been taunted and tortured for dowry by her husband and his family. The trial court convicted the husband and his relatives under Section 304-B (dowry death) and 498-A IPC and the Dowry Prohibition Act; the High Court of Uttarakhand acquitted two co-accused but upheld the conviction of the husband and one other accused. The convicted appellants approached the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court examined the chain of circumstantial evidence, noting that the accused's conduct after discovering the deceased (not rushing her to hospital) undermined their defence that she had set herself on fire after first consuming poison. Applying the settled principles governing convictions based on circumstantial evidence (complete and unbroken chain pointing only to guilt), the Court found no snap or gap in the prosecution's case. It held that absence of proven motive does not break this chain where the evidence is otherwise clear, and upheld the conviction under Section 304-B IPC, dismissing the appeal.
In dowry death cases built on circumstantial evidence, courts look at the complete chain of events, including how the family reacted after the death, and a conviction can stand even without a specifically proven motive, so long as the evidence excludes every reasonable explanation except guilt.
