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 police constable was killed while chasing suspected sand smugglers, including the appellant, in a tractor-trailer at night. The trial court convicted the appellant and a co-accused of murder based on an alleged eyewitness, an extra-judicial confession by other co-accused, and a "last seen" witness, sentencing them to life imprisonment; the Madras High Court upheld the appellant's conviction while acquitting other co-accused of related charges.
The Supreme Court found that the prosecution's key evidence had already crumbled. The High Court itself had disbelieved the eyewitness and the extra-judicial confession as unreliable, and the "last seen" witness had inexplicably delayed reporting what he saw for 17 days despite knowing the deceased and attending his postmortem. The FIR itself was presented to the magistrate many hours late without credible explanation, casting further doubt on the case. With the chain of circumstantial evidence broken and no single conclusive link connecting the appellant to the killing (beyond recovered slippers and a spanner), the Court held the prosecution had not proven guilt beyond reasonable doubt and acquitted the appellant, ordering his release.
In cases built on circumstantial evidence, a conviction cannot stand if the chain of proof has gaps or contradictions. Courts must set aside a conviction and give the accused the benefit of the doubt when key prosecution witnesses are themselves found unreliable, even if some physical evidence remains.
