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.
14543 more judgements for members
You're seeing the newest cases. Log in — it's free — to keep scrolling, search by name or judge, and filter by court or legal area.
Log in to see moreFollowing a dispute over non-payment of Rs. 130 at the appellant's shop, a scuffle broke out the next morning between the appellant and the deceased's family near a field. The appellant struck the deceased, Ram Kumar Sahu, on the head with a tangi (a sharp agricultural tool), and the deceased later died from the injury in hospital. The appellant claimed he acted in self-defence after being attacked by the deceased's brothers, and he too was injured in the incident. The trial court convicted him of murder under Section 302 IPC, and the High Court upheld the conviction, leading to this appeal.
The Supreme Court found that the appellant was indeed responsible for the death, since medical and oral evidence confirmed the fatal head injury was caused by his blow. However, it held there was no evidence of premeditation or intention to kill, noting the appellant was himself injured and the incident arose from a sudden scuffle rather than a planned attack. The Court therefore set aside the conviction under Section 302 IPC (murder) and instead convicted the appellant under the lesser offence of Section 304 Part II IPC (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), sentencing him to seven years' imprisonment, with directions for his release if he had already served that term.
A killing committed in a sudden fight without premeditation or intent to kill, even if it results in death, may be treated as culpable homicide rather than murder, which carries a significantly lesser sentence; the presence or absence of intention is central to how a homicide case is classified.
