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 petitioner's conviction under Section 302 IPC (murder) and life sentence, based on the testimony of two eyewitnesses, had been upheld by the Bombay High Court. He approached the Supreme Court by way of a Special Leave Petition. The Court decided this case together with an unrelated SLP (Diary No. 21026/2018) because both raised a common administrative issue about video-conferencing facilities for jailed accused persons to consult their legal-aid lawyers.
The Supreme Court found no reason to interfere with the High Court's finding that the eyewitness testimony was reliable and unblemished, and dismissed the Special Leave Petition, upholding the conviction and life sentence. Separately, the Court commended the Supreme Court Legal Services Committee's practice of arranging video conferencing between legal-aid lawyers and their jailed clients before hearings, noting that lawyers appointed under legal aid often lack any prior contact with the accused, which hampers effective representation. The Court directed all State Legal Services Authorities/Committees to extend similar video-conferencing facilities between legal-aid counsel and the accused (or anyone familiar with the case) in every criminal case where the accused is in jail.
Beyond deciding the appeal itself, the Court used the occasion to strengthen access to justice, directing that legal-aid lawyers be given video-conferencing access to jailed clients nationwide, so free legal representation is not just nominal but genuinely informed.
