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 appellant got into a verbal argument with his neighbour over loud music from a tape recorder, went home, returned with a sword, and struck the neighbour once in the rib cage, causing fatal injuries. The trial court acquitted him giving benefit of doubt, but the High Court, on reappreciating the evidence (including an injured eyewitness), reversed the acquittal and convicted him of murder under Section 302 IPC with life imprisonment.
The Supreme Court upheld the High Court's reappreciation of evidence and the finding of guilt, agreeing that the eyewitness testimony was credible and corroborated. However, on the specific question of intent, the Court held that the single blow, the sudden heat-of-the-moment nature of the quarrel over a trivial issue, and the brief 1.5-2 minute duration of the whole episode showed the appellant lacked the intention to kill, though given the weapon and the vital location struck, he must be attributed with knowledge that death was a likely consequence. The Court therefore altered the conviction from murder (Section 302 IPC) to culpable homicide not amounting to murder (Section 304 Part II IPC), and reduced the sentence to time already served, ordering his release.
A single, sudden blow struck in a heat-of-the-moment quarrel, without premeditation or repeated attack, can be treated as culpable homicide rather than murder even if death results, because the law distinguishes an intention to kill from mere knowledge that an act is likely to cause death.
