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 moreAfter losing his job abroad and returning home, the appellant took to alcohol and harassed his wife and children, prompting his wife to leave and live with her mother. Enraged and believing his mother-in-law had instigated the separation, he went to her shop with a billhook and attacked her; his wife was also injured while trying to protect her mother. The trial court convicted him under Section 307 IPC (among other offences) and sentenced him to life imprisonment, which the High Court reduced to 12 years' rigorous imprisonment.
Since the Supreme Court's notice was limited to the question of sentence (conviction was final), it examined Section 307 IPC and held that the provision permits only two options: life imprisonment, or imprisonment up to a maximum of 10 years if life imprisonment is not imposed. There is no room for an intermediate term like 12 years. Relying on its own precedents (Jagat Bahadur v. State of M.P. and Amit Rana v. State of Haryana), the Court reduced the sentence under Section 307 to 7 years' rigorous imprisonment, with other sentences continuing to run concurrently as earlier ordered.
When a court chooses not to impose life imprisonment under Section 307 IPC, the law caps the alternative sentence at a maximum of 10 years: no court, including an appellate court reducing a life sentence, can impose a term beyond that statutory ceiling.
