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 moreKhuman Singh let his buffaloes graze in a field being cultivated by Veer Singh, who objected and drove the buffaloes away. An altercation followed in which Khuman Singh allegedly abused Veer Singh using a caste-based slur and struck him on the head with an axe multiple times, killing him. He was convicted by the trial court and the Madhya Pradesh High Court under Section 302 IPC (murder) and under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, and sentenced to life imprisonment on both counts.
The Supreme Court held that the killing occurred in a sudden, unpremeditated fight arising from a trivial dispute over cattle grazing, with no prior enmity or deliberation, so it fell under Exception 4 to Section 300 IPC, downgrading the conviction from murder (Section 302) to culpable homicide not amounting to murder (Section 304 Part II). It also acquitted him of the SC/ST Act charge, holding that merely using a caste reference during a sudden quarrel is not enough: the prosecution must show the offence was committed specifically because the victim belonged to a Scheduled Caste, which was not established here. Given he had already served over 13 years in custody, he was ordered released, sentenced to time already served.
A killing during a sudden, unplanned quarrel without premeditation may be culpable homicide rather than murder; and a conviction under the SC/ST Atrocities Act requires proof that the offence was committed specifically because of the victim's caste, not merely that a caste reference was made during an otherwise unrelated dispute.
