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 first appellant, the uncle of a minor girl (the prosecutrix), took her from her home and did not return her, instead taking her to the house of the second appellant (his maternal uncle), where both men sexually assaulted her. Both were convicted by the trial court under Sections 363 and 376(2)(g) read with Section 34 IPC and sentenced to ten years' rigorous imprisonment, a conviction upheld by the High Court, which rejected the defence's plea of consent after finding the prosecutrix was below sixteen years of age and had been misled in good faith by her own uncle.
The Supreme Court examined the evidence on the prosecutrix's age (including school records and a disputed ossification test) and agreed with the concurrent findings of the trial court and High Court that she was a minor, so any plea of "consent" was legally irrelevant. The Court rejected the appellants' alternative argument for a reduced sentence despite over eight years already served in custody, holding that rape is a grave violation of a victim's dignity, bodily integrity, and constitutional rights under Articles 14 and 21, and that no special reason existed to justify leniency. The Court held the appellants had exploited their family relationship with the victim to commit the offence and found no merit whatsoever in the appeal, which was accordingly dismissed in full, upholding the conviction and the ten-year sentence.
Courts treat rape of a minor as an assault on constitutional dignity and bodily autonomy, not a matter for leniency based on time already served in custody; a claim of "consent" offers no defence where the victim is below the age of consent under law, regardless of family or social trust between the parties.
