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 moreThe first appellant's wife died after being set on fire, allegedly by the first appellant pouring kerosene on her while the second appellant (described as his concubine) set her alight; both were convicted of murder under Section 302 IPC based mainly on two dying declarations made by the victim before she died. The defence argued that the declarations also showed the appellants had tried to extinguish the fire (one declaration said the second appellant poured water on her), and that this should at most support a lesser conviction under Section 304 Part II IPC (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) rather than murder.
The Supreme Court rejected the defence's argument, agreeing with the State that any act of extinguishing the fire appeared to be mere spontaneous instinct rather than genuine concern for the victim's life, noting pointedly that if the appellants truly wanted to save her, they would have taken her to a hospital, but instead left her at her parental home and fled the scene. The Court therefore declined to disturb the murder conviction upheld by the High Court. However, it added a humanitarian direction: if the appellants had already served 14 years in jail (including remission) with satisfactory conduct, they were to be released on bail pending a final decision on premature release, subject to conditions set by the trial court.
A token or instinctive act (like briefly trying to put out a fire) does not by itself reduce criminal liability from murder to a lesser offence: courts look at the accused's overall conduct, including whether they took meaningful steps (like seeking medical help) consistent with genuinely trying to save the victim's life.
