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 by a Special Judge in Chhattisgarh for cutting a neighbour's field embankment, which cut off the neighbour's water supply, and for abusing and threatening the complainant (a Scheduled Tribe member) and his brother at a subsequent village Panchayat meeting. He was convicted under Section 294 IPC (obscene abuse in public) and Section 3(1)(x) of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, and sentenced to a few months' imprisonment with fine; he was acquitted of the criminal-intimidation charge. The High Court of Chhattisgarh affirmed both convictions in 2018, prompting this further appeal to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court examined the complainant's own testimony and found that, while the complainant clearly confirmed he was abused by the appellant (justifying the Section 294 IPC conviction), the complainant's own version did not establish that the abuse referred to his caste or tribal identity: that detail appeared only in other witnesses' testimony, not the victim's own account. Giving the appellant the benefit of this doubt, the Court upheld the Section 294 IPC conviction but acquitted him of the SC/ST Act charge under Section 3(1)(x). Since the appellant had already served more than four months in custody, he was ordered to be set at liberty unless wanted in any other matter.
A conviction under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act requires that the caste/tribal reference actually be established through the complainant's own testimony, not merely through corroborating witnesses: courts will give the accused benefit of the doubt where the victim's own account does not support that specific element of the offence.
