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, a postal department employee, was convicted by the trial court and the Karnataka High Court for theft of articles entrusted to his employer (an offence under Section 381 IPC, theft by a clerk or servant of property in his employer's possession) and a related offence under Section 52 of the Indian Post Office Act. The courts below had separately sentenced him for each offence, and the appellant challenged his conviction before the Supreme Court while also raising the dismissal from service and health issues (including a heart ailment) he had suffered as consequences of the case.
The Supreme Court upheld the conviction under both Section 381 IPC and Section 52 of the Indian Post Office Act, since the appellant did not seriously contest the underlying findings of guilt in this appeal. However, taking into account that he had already been dismissed from service, had a documented heart ailment, and other mitigating factors, the Court held, citing its own precedent in Sawal Das v. State of Bihar (1975) 3 SCC 156, that an appellate court can direct multiple sentences to run concurrently as a matter incidental to affirming a conviction. It therefore allowed the appeal only in part, directing that the sentences under the IPC and the Post Office Act run concurrently rather than consecutively, and ordered his release if he had already served the resulting (shorter) term.
Even where a criminal conviction itself is not overturned, an appellate court retains the power to moderate the practical severity of punishment, for instance by ordering multiple sentences to run concurrently rather than one after another, based on mitigating circumstances like health and loss of livelihood.
