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 one of four persons convicted and sentenced in a criminal case in Madhya Pradesh. While his criminal appeal against conviction was pending before the High Court, the High Court had already suspended the sentences of the other three co-accused (Accused Nos. 2, 3 and 4) but declined to suspend the appellant's own sentence, leaving him in custody. He approached the Supreme Court challenging that refusal.
The Supreme Court held that since the sentences of the co-accused convicted and sentenced alongside the appellant had already been suspended, fairness and parity required that the appellant's sentence be suspended too. It granted the appeal and directed the appellant's release on bail, subject to depositing the full fine amount and furnishing a personal bond of Rs. 50,000 with two solvent sureties to the satisfaction of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Katni, and required him to report to the High Court Registry on the last working day of each month. This finally and fully disposed of the specific relief sought in this matter (suspension of sentence/bail pending appeal), even though the underlying criminal appeal itself remains pending before the High Court.
Courts apply the principle of "parity" in bail and sentence-suspension matters: if co-accused convicted in the same case for the same conduct have already had their sentences suspended, a similarly situated accused is ordinarily entitled to the same relief.
