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.
14543 more judgements for members
You're seeing the newest cases. Log in — it's free — to keep scrolling, search by name or judge, and filter by court or legal area.
Log in to see moreThe appellant's wife was found dead at their home, with the family initially told she had died by hanging. There were no eyewitnesses, so the case against the husband rested entirely on circumstantial evidence. The trial court convicted him of murder on the theory that she had actually been strangled, while the High Court, on appeal, took the view that she had been hanged, but both courts agreed it was a homicide, not a suicide, and upheld the conviction.
The Supreme Court examined the physical evidence in detail, the position of the body, the ligature marks, the lack of stretching in the neck, and injuries suggesting a struggle, and agreed that the medical and physical evidence ruled out suicide. It noted the husband's suspicious conduct: he did not inform anyone of his wife's death, was absent from the house all night, and offered no credible explanation when questioned, despite Section 106 of the Evidence Act placing the burden on him to explain facts especially within his own knowledge (since the death occurred inside their shared home). Applying established principles on circumstantial evidence and the "burden-shifting" doctrine from precedents like Trimukh Maroti Kirkan, the Court held the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt and dismissed the appeal, directing the appellant to surrender to serve his remaining sentence.
When a death happens inside the privacy of a shared home with no outside witnesses, the person who was present and has special knowledge of what happened cannot simply stay silent: the law expects them to offer a credible explanation, and failure to do so can itself become strong evidence of guilt.
