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 moreA dispute between two families over turns for irrigating their fields had already led to earlier scuffles and cross-proceedings before an Executive Magistrate. On the day both parties attended court for those proceedings, a heated exchange turned violent, and members of the appellant's side attacked the complainant's relatives with a sharp weapon, killing two people and injuring others. The trial court had acquitted Darshan Singh, accepting his alibi that he was at work that day, but the High Court reversed the acquittal and convicted him.
The Supreme Court examined the eyewitness testimony of injured witnesses who detailed the appellant's role in the attack, and scrutinised his alibi evidence, including his leave application and school attendance register. It agreed with the High Court that the alibi was vacillating and unconvincing, noting that a plea of alibi only needs to be addressed once the prosecution has already proved its case, which it had here through credible eyewitness accounts. Finding no infirmity in the High Court's appreciation of evidence, the Court dismissed the appeal and upheld the conviction and sentence.
A defence of alibi will not succeed merely on the accused's say-so; it must be backed by solid, consistent proof, and courts will readily reject it where strong eyewitness testimony already establishes the accused's presence and role at the scene.
