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, proprietor of a transport firm (M/s Cosmo Transport), was convicted for orchestrating the forgery of a government supply order and related documents to fraudulently lift 1,091.95 metric tonnes of Bulk Bitumen (valued over Rs. 54 lakh) meant for a state Road Construction Department, and then diverting and selling the entire consignment elsewhere instead of delivering it. An accomplice who was later granted pardon and turned approver testified that he forged the signatures of the department's Executive Engineer at the appellant's instruction, and this was corroborated by numerous departmental witnesses who confirmed the bitumen was never received at its intended destination.
The Supreme Court upheld the conviction, holding that the approver's admission of forging signatures, corroborated by the genuine signatory's denial and by extensive documentary and witness evidence showing non-receipt of the goods, established guilt beyond doubt, and that the appellant's own statement effectively admitted receiving the full consignment without showing it was ever delivered as required. However, considering that the appellant was now 71 years old with serious health issues (diabetes, three heart attacks), and that the offence was over 30 years old, the Court took a lenient view on sentence, reducing the rigorous imprisonment under Sections 407 and 420 IPC from 5 years to 2 years and 6 months while keeping the sentences under Sections 465 and 471 IPC unchanged, all to run concurrently.
Courts can and do temper sentences for extreme delay, old age, and serious ill health even while fully affirming a conviction: the passage of decades and personal circumstances can mitigate punishment, but they are not a defence to guilt once forgery and diversion of entrusted property are proved by cogent evidence.
