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 moreTwo appellants, Dadu @ Ankush and Ankit, were convicted by a Special Court in Madhya Pradesh (one under Section 323 IPC (voluntarily causing hurt), and the other under Sections 354 and 323 IPC along with Section 3(1)(xi) of the SC/ST Act) after a young woman complained that they had teased her, caught her by the neck/dupatta, and beaten her brother when he came to her rescue. The High Court of Madhya Pradesh dismissed their appeal against conviction, and they approached the Supreme Court by special leave.
The Supreme Court closely re-examined the evidence and found major inconsistencies between the written FIR, the victim's court testimony, and her brother's testimony, including unexplained absence of any independent eyewitness despite the brother claiming "many people" saw the incident, medical evidence suggesting the injuries were consistent with a fall rather than an assault, and a hostile witness (PW-4) whose testimony that a scuffle broke out over stepped-on feet at a crowded festival was wrongly disregarded by the High Court merely because he turned hostile. The Court held that the discrepancies rendered the prosecution's story unbelievable, that there was no evidence the caste-based intent required under the SC/ST Act was actually proved, and that the defence had plausibly shown a scuffle unrelated to caste animus. The conviction and sentence of both appellants were set aside and the appeal was allowed.
A criminal conviction cannot rest on a complainant's story alone when it is materially inconsistent with medical evidence and unsupported by any independent witness. Courts must also give proper weight to a hostile witness's testimony rather than discard it outright, and offences under special statutes like the SC/ST Act require the specific caste-based intent to be actually proved, not merely assumed.
