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 moreIn 1994, Jaibir @ Gabbu was killed in his under-construction house in Bhiwani, Haryana, after a group of seven men, armed with weapons including a wooden rafter, lathis and a sword, attacked him and his friends following an earlier altercation at a liquor shop. Several accused, including the appellant Dev Karan (accused No. 5), were convicted by the trial court and the conviction was upheld through appeals; this decision disposed of four connected criminal appeals (Crl.A. Nos. 299, 300, 302, and 1139 of 2010) filed by different convicted accused.
The Supreme Court dismissed all four appeals and upheld the convictions. It rejected the appellants' argument of mistaken identity, noting that eyewitnesses who knew the accused personally had consistently identified them (including by an alias), and that the accused had been arrested promptly, with a weapon recovered pursuant to one accused's own disclosure statement. The Court held that minor inconsistencies in eyewitness accounts of a violent, fast-moving group attack are natural and do not undermine the broader consistency of the prosecution's case, and the trial court's view on the collective nature of the attack was sound. The accused were directed to surrender within fifteen days to serve their remaining sentences.
In a chaotic group attack, courts do not expect eyewitnesses to recall every detail with pinpoint precision: broad consistency among witnesses who knew the accused is enough to sustain identification and conviction, even if minor details vary between testimonies.
