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 deceased woman died by suicide in March 2004 after years of marital discord; her husband and in-laws were convicted by the trial court and High Court of cruelty (Section 498A), abetment of suicide (Section 306), and destruction of evidence (Section 201) for allegedly driving her to suicide, partly through the husband's alleged extramarital relationship with his co-accused. The accused appealed, arguing the evidence did not establish the kind of cruelty needed to sustain these convictions.
The Supreme Court held that while there was no dowry demand, the real question was whether the alleged cruelty, rooted in the husband's extramarital relationship, was of a degree likely to drive the deceased to suicide, relying on its own precedent in Pinakin Mahipatray Rawal v. State of Gujarat. It found that even if the illicit relationship were proven, the evidence did not show conduct so severe as to amount to "cruelty" under Section 498A's first limb, and consequently the abetment-of-suicide charge under Section 306 could not stand either. As for the other accused (in-laws), the Court found the evidence against them "sketchy and not convincing." The convictions and sentences of all appellants were set aside and the appeal was allowed.
A mere extramarital affair by a spouse, even if proven, does not automatically amount to the "cruelty" required to convict under Section 498A or to sustain an abetment-of-suicide charge under Section 306: the prosecution must show conduct severe enough to have actually driven the victim to take her own life.
