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 moreFifteen people were tried for the murder of one Babusingh, who was attacked by an armed mob while riding home on a motorcycle at night in Madhya Pradesh. The trial court convicted seven of them, including Peer Singh, and sentenced them to life imprisonment; the High Court upheld the conviction. This judgment disposed of three connected appeals (by Peer Singh and two co-accused) together, since they arose from the same incident and trial, the main question being whether these three appellants were actually present at the scene.
The Supreme Court found that the first information recorded at the spot ("Dehati Nalishi") did not name Peer Singh or his two co-appellants at all, and the key eyewitness's own statement to police shortly after the incident likewise omitted their names: he only added their names much later when testifying in court, with no credible explanation for the discrepancy. Since the sole eyewitness linking these three men to the crime contradicted his own earlier statement and the spot report, the Court held this created a grave doubt about their presence at the scene, and that doubt had to benefit the accused. The Court accordingly allowed the appeals, set aside the conviction and sentence of Peer Singh, Bhagwansingh, and Gajrajsingh, and ordered their immediate release.
In criminal trials, inconsistencies between a witness's earliest statement (recorded right after the incident) and their later court testimony can be fatal to the prosecution's case: courts give the benefit of the doubt to the accused when identification evidence is unreliable or materially contradicted.
