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 moreAccused No. 1 had sent a Deepavali greeting to a young woman expressing romantic interest; when her father and another man confronted him about it near a village canteen, the appellants attacked the complainant's party with clubs. One of the men in the complainant's group, Ramu, died from his injuries. The trial court had acquitted all the accused, citing unexplained injuries on the accused themselves, inconsistent witness testimony, and a failure to prove motive or intent. The High Court reversed the acquittal and convicted the appellants under Section 304(II) IPC (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) read with Section 149 IPC, sentencing them to three years' imprisonment.
The Supreme Court dismissed the appeal and upheld the conviction. It found the testimony of the injured eyewitnesses consistent and corroborated by medical evidence on who assaulted whom, with what weapon, and where the injuries were inflicted. The Court clarified that the prosecution is only obligated to explain injuries on the accused if those injuries are grievous in nature: here there was no such evidence, so the absence of an explanation was not fatal. It held the trial court's acquittal was based on a perverse appreciation of evidence and that the High Court had, if anything, already shown leniency in sentencing.
An acquittal is not final or untouchable if the trial court's reasoning is found to be perverse; appellate courts can and will reverse acquittals where the evidence, read as a whole, clearly supports guilt, and the duty to "explain" injuries on the accused only arises where those injuries are serious.
