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 moreFollowing a long-standing enmity, three men were attacked with guns, sharp weapons and bricks on 9 December 1992 in Haridwar; one victim died and two others (the original complainant and his son) were injured. The Sessions Court convicted three accused (Ashok, Pramod and Anil @ Neelu) of murder and related offences in 2004, sentencing them to life imprisonment, while acquitting other co-accused. In 2012, the Uttarakhand High Court allowed the accused's appeals and overturned the convictions in a brief, three-paragraph order. The original complainant's son (later substituted by his legal heirs after his death) challenged that reversal before the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court held that a High Court, sitting as a first appellate court in a criminal appeal, functions "akin to a Trial Court" and must independently and thoroughly re-evaluate the evidence (the medical evidence, witness statements, and defence version) before overturning a conviction; a judgment need not be long, but it must show genuine application of mind. Finding the High Court's 2012 order "cryptic and de hors any reasoning," the Supreme Court set it aside purely on this procedural ground, explicitly declining to express any opinion on the merits of guilt or innocence. It remanded the matter back to the Uttarakhand High Court for a fresh, reasoned hearing of the original appeals, with liberty to both sides to reargue every point, and directed the High Court to dispose of the decades-old case expeditiously given the incident dates to 1992. The accused were ordered to remain on bail pending the rehearing, subject to executing fresh bonds.
An appellate court overturning a criminal conviction cannot do so with a bare, reasoning-free order. It must independently reassess the evidence and explain why the trial court's findings were wrong; a judgment that skips this step can itself be set aside on that ground alone, regardless of who ultimately wins on the underlying facts.
