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 doctor practising at Himmatnagar, Gujarat, was accused of raping a patient who had come to him for treatment during a medical examination on 8 May 2001. An FIR was lodged, a chargesheet filed, and the Trial Court convicted him. On appeal, the Gujarat High Court dismissed the accused's appeal and separately allowed the State's appeal for enhancement of his sentence. He then appealed to the Supreme Court against both the conviction and the sentence enhancement.
The Supreme Court found that the victim herself, the prosecution's main witness, did not support the prosecution's case at trial, and her husband (an eyewitness present nearby) also turned hostile and failed to corroborate the allegations. Three independent witnesses who were present at the clinic and cited in the chargesheet were never examined by the prosecution, and the medical evidence on record likewise did not support the prosecution's version of events. The Court held that a court cannot simply presume a witness turned hostile because she was "won over" by the accused, and mere allegations in an FIR cannot be presumed true without being proved through cogent evidence at trial. Concluding that both the Trial Court and the High Court had erred in convicting the appellant on this record, the Supreme Court set aside both the conviction and the sentence-enhancement order and acquitted the appellant, discharging his bail bonds.
A criminal conviction cannot rest on the bare allegations in an FIR. The prosecution must actually prove its case through evidence at trial, and courts cannot assume a witness who fails to support the prosecution was "won over" without proof; unexamined material witnesses and unsupportive medical evidence can be fatal to a prosecution's case even years after conviction.
