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 moreManju, also known as Uma Devi, suffered fatal burns less than nine months after marrying Pradeep Kumar. Her parents described demands for money and harassment. In a statement recorded by a magistrate she initially described an accident, then immediately said that her husband had instructed her to say so and gave an account of him pouring kerosene on her and setting her on fire.
The Supreme Court dismissed the husband's appeal and upheld his convictions for dowry death and cruelty under Sections 304-B and 498-A of the Penal Code. It accepted the incriminating part of the dying declaration, recorded after medical confirmation of her fitness, in light of the medical evidence and her parents' testimony. The evidence established an unnatural death within seven years of marriage and dowry-related harassment soon before the death, attracting the statutory presumption. His efforts to help her afterwards, including donating blood, did not displace that evidence. His bail was cancelled and he was directed to serve the remaining sentence.
A dying declaration is assessed with its circumstances and supporting evidence, even where the speaker first gives a different account. In a dowry death prosecution, evidence of recent dowry-related harassment is crucial to the statutory presumption.
