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 Punjab Home Guard volunteer, shot and killed a fellow volunteer, Jaswant Singh, in 1991 after the deceased publicly demanded repayment of a Rs. 100 loan, leading to a roughly 15-minute altercation between them. The trial court acquitted the appellant, accepting that he fired in exercise of his right of private defence, but the Punjab and Haryana High Court reversed this and convicted him under Section 302 IPC (murder) and the Arms Act.
The Supreme Court examined the eyewitness evidence and found that the deceased had himself aimed a rifle at the appellant during the altercation, giving the appellant a genuine right of private defence. However, by firing at the deceased's chest, a vital body part, rather than a less lethal area, the appellant exceeded the legitimate exercise of that right. The Court therefore held the offence fell under Exception II to Section 300 IPC (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), converting the conviction from Section 302 IPC to Section 304 Part I IPC. Since the appellant had already served the maximum ten-year sentence prescribed for that offence, the Court ordered his immediate release.
The right of private defence is real but not unlimited, using more force than necessary to counter a threat, such as deliberately targeting a vital organ, can turn a defensive act into culpable homicide rather than a complete legal justification, even where the initial threat was genuine.
