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 man named Kumar wanted to marry a schoolgirl, Geetha, against the wishes of her father, also named Murugan (the appellant was Kumar's cousin, also named Murugan, a different person from Geetha's father). Kumar and the appellant invited Geetha's father for dinner at Kumar's house one night, and Geetha's father was found dead the next morning from multiple injuries after being last seen dining with the two men. Kumar died before the trial could be completed, and the case continued only against the cousin, who was convicted by the trial court and the High Court.
The Supreme Court held that the concurrent findings of the two courts below were legally and factually sound, based on an unbroken chain of circumstances: the motive (Kumar's thwarted wish to marry the victim's daughter), the appellant's close association with Kumar, their joint visit to invite the victim, the dinner together, the victim's death occurring shortly after, and the appellant's complete failure to explain these circumstances when questioned. The Court rejected the argument that Kumar's death before trial meant nothing survived against the appellant, holding that the case was one of common intention between the two men to eliminate the victim and that the appellant's own conduct and the "last seen together" circumstance were sufficient to sustain his conviction independently. The appeal was dismissed and the conviction and life sentence upheld.
Being the last person seen in the company of a victim shortly before death is a strong circumstance against an accused, and the death of a co-accused before trial does not automatically benefit a surviving accused where the evidence independently establishes his own participation in a common plan.
