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 appellant, a Gram Panchayat Sarpanch, and another panchayat member visited a government school and confronted a teacher over late arrival; when the teacher could not produce a requested attendance register, the appellant allegedly grabbed his collar, abused him, and threatened him. He was convicted under IPC Sections 353, 294 and 504 (assaulting/insulting a public servant and criminal intimidation), while a separate charge under the SC/ST Act was dropped at trial. The Bombay High Court acquitted his co-accused but upheld his conviction, leading to this further appeal.
The Supreme Court did not disturb the conviction itself, which the appellant did not seriously contest, but modified the sentence. Considering the appellant's age (60), his clean record, the age of the 13-year-old incident, and that he had already served one month of his three-month sentence, the Court reduced his remaining jail term to the period already undergone (meaning no further incarceration) while substantially increasing the fine from Rs. 800 to Rs. 15,000, payable to the complainant. It warned that failure to pay the fine within a month would revive the original jail sentence.
Appellate courts can fine-tune a sentence to fit the offender's individual circumstances, age, clean record, and time already served, even while leaving the underlying conviction intact, often substituting a monetary penalty for further imprisonment in less serious cases.
