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 dispute began when a buffalo calf strayed into a neighbour's field and its owner beat the animal; this escalated into a violent confrontation when the animal owner's wife objected. The dispute was taken up by the two families, and when the parties met to convene a village panchayat (informal village council) to resolve it, several accused, including the appellant Pappu @ Hans Raj, arrived armed and fatally attacked two people, Amar Nath and his wife Rajji. The trial court convicted the appellant and two co-accused of murder, while acquitting three others for lack of evidence; the Punjab and Haryana High Court upheld the conviction, leading to this further appeal.
The Supreme Court examined the eyewitness testimony of two witnesses who directly described the appellant inflicting fatal injuries on the deceased woman, corroborated by post-mortem findings showing deep incised wounds to the head, face, and neck consistent with an intentional, forceful attack. The appellant's argument, that he was not named in the initial police complaint and no weapon was recovered from him, was rejected in light of this direct eyewitness evidence of his overt participation in the assault. Since both the trial court and the High Court had reached the same (concurrent) factual finding of guilt based on credible eyewitness and medical evidence, the Supreme Court found no good ground to interfere with those findings. The appeals were accordingly dismissed, upholding the life sentence.
When two lower courts independently reach the same factual conclusion based on credible eyewitness and medical evidence, the Supreme Court will generally not re-open and reverse those concurrent findings on appeal, absent a clear and good reason.
