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 moreA land dispute between the appellants and the complainant's family (involving mortgaged land occupied by the deceased, Prem Dass) led to a violent confrontation on 24 March 2004, during which the deceased was assaulted by a group including the three appellants. The Sessions Court convicted the appellants under Section 302 (murder) along with Sections 341 and 323 read with Section 34 IPC, and the Himachal Pradesh High Court upheld this conviction. The appellants challenged their conviction before the Supreme Court by special leave.
The Supreme Court examined the medical evidence and found that the deceased suffered only two simple injuries (one later proving fatal due to hemorrhage), and that the nature and limited force of the assault did not indicate an intention to kill. The Court held that while the appellants had knowledge that their actions could cause death, they lacked the specific intention required for murder under Section 300 IPC, and that the offence instead fell under Section 304 Part II IPC (culpable homicide not amounting to murder). The conviction under Section 302 was set aside, and the appellants were convicted under Section 304 Part II IPC and sentenced to ten years' rigorous imprisonment. Since they had already served over 11.5 years, the Court ordered their immediate release.
A conviction for murder requires proof of specific intention to kill or to cause an injury likely to cause death; where the evidence shows only knowledge of a possible fatal outcome without such intention, the correct charge is the lesser offence of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, which carries a materially different (and often lower) sentence.
