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 appellant was convicted by a Special Court in Coimbatore under Sections 302 (murder), 449 (house-trespass), 376 (rape) and 394 (voluntarily causing hurt in committing robbery) of the IPC, and the Madras High Court upheld that conviction. The case rested entirely on circumstantial evidence, there was no eyewitness or direct proof, with the prosecution relying on the alleged recovery of two gold bangles belonging to the deceased from the appellant. The appellant argued he had been falsely implicated, that no scientific evidence linked him to the crime, and that key witnesses who could have clarified the events were never examined or investigated.
The Supreme Court re-examined the chain of circumstantial evidence and found it riddled with gaps rather than forming a complete, unbroken chain pointing exclusively to the appellant's guilt. It held that when circumstantial evidence permits more than one reasonable hypothesis, the one favouring innocence must be adopted, and the benefit of the doubt must go to the accused. Concluding that guilt had not been proved beyond reasonable doubt, the Court set aside both the High Court's and the trial court's judgments, acquitted the appellant of all charges, and ordered his immediate release unless he was wanted in any other case.
A criminal conviction based purely on circumstantial evidence can only stand if the chain of proof is complete and points unerringly to guilt, excluding every other reasonable explanation: any missing link entitles the accused to acquittal, no matter how serious the charge.
