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 under Section 18 of the NDPS Act for possession of 4 kg of opium and sentenced to 10 years' rigorous imprisonment. The same police sub-inspector who lodged the FIR as informant also carried out the entire investigation himself, including search, seizure, sample handling and witness examination, without depositing the seized contraband in the police malkhana and with a nine-day unexplained delay in sending the sample for chemical analysis. Key witnesses to the seizure were never examined at trial.
Noting conflicting prior two-judge-bench rulings on whether an informant can also be the investigating officer, the Supreme Court resolved the conflict and laid down a clear rule: a fair investigation, the foundation of a fair trial under Article 21, requires that the informant and the investigator must not be the same person, especially under statutes like the NDPS Act that impose a reverse burden of proof on the accused. The Court disapproved the Kerala High Court's contrary view in Kader and approved the view in Naushad. Finding the investigation here vitiated by this very defect (compounded by non-deposit of the seized material in the malkhana and unexplained delays), the Court allowed the appeal, set aside the conviction, and ordered the appellant's immediate release.
In criminal cases, particularly narcotics cases where the law presumes guilt once possession is shown, a conviction cannot stand if the police officer who filed the complaint also personally conducted the investigation; this structural conflict of interest by itself vitiates the prosecution, regardless of whether specific prejudice is separately proven.
