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 moreDuring a wedding ritual, around 30-40 police personnel raided the venue and forcibly took away the groom, Deva Pardhi, and his uncle Gangaram Pardhi over a theft investigation. Deva Pardhi was allegedly tortured for hours in custody (beaten, hung upside down, doused with water and burned with chilli powder) and later died; Gangaram Pardhi, the sole eyewitness, was kept in custody and implicated in further criminal cases. The appellants (relatives of the deceased and detained men) approached the High Court seeking transfer of the murder investigation to an independent agency and bail for Gangaram Pardhi, but the High Court denied bail while only ordering Gangaram Pardhi's transfer to a different jail for safety.
The Supreme Court found that despite eight months passing since the FIR for Deva Pardhi's custodial death, not a single police official had been arrested, and that even the post-mortem doctors appeared to have avoided stating a cause of death, suggesting police influence over the investigation. Applying the principle that "no one should be a judge in his own cause," the Court held that a fair investigation was impossible while local police investigated their own colleagues, and directed that the investigation into Deva Pardhi's custodial death be transferred to the CBI, with responsible officers to be arrested within one month. It also gave Gangaram Pardhi liberty to seek bail directly from the High Court in the other cases filed against him, and directed the State to ensure his protection as a key witness.
When police are themselves implicated in a custodial death, courts will readily transfer the investigation to an independent agency like the CBI rather than let local police investigate their own colleagues, and will also take steps to protect a key witness who is being repeatedly implicated in fresh cases to silence him.
