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 appellants belonged to a rival political faction to the deceased in a village in Raigad district, Maharashtra, and tensions had flared after a 1992 Zilla Parishad election. The deceased was fatally attacked at night in the courtyard of his home by a group armed with swords, a knife, sticks, and a motorcycle chain, sustaining 26 injuries; he died later that night. The trial court acquitted the appellants, but the Bombay High Court reversed the acquittal and convicted them under Section 302 read with Section 149 IPC, sentencing them to life imprisonment.
The Supreme Court held that while an appellate court must be cautious before reversing an acquittal (given the "double presumption" of innocence in favour of an acquitted accused), the trial court's findings here were perverse: it had wrongly given decisive weight to insignificant details, such as mud on the deceased's legs, while ignoring consistent eyewitness testimony corroborated by medical evidence and recovery of weapons. Applying the principles from Chandrappa v. State of Karnataka and Kallu v. State of M.P. on the scope of appellate review of acquittals, the Court found no good ground to interfere with the High Court's reversal. The conviction under Section 302 read with Section 149 IPC and the life sentence were confirmed, and the appeal was dismissed.
An appellate court can overturn a trial court's acquittal where the trial court's reasoning is shown to be perverse (ignoring the substance of credible, corroborated evidence in favour of trivial details): an acquittal is not automatically immune from reversal on appeal.
