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 convicted for the murder of Het Ram, who went missing after leaving home with the appellant and was later found dead, concealed in a bundle inside a well. The prosecution's case rested entirely on circumstantial evidence - the deceased was last seen with the appellant at a tea stall, a knife and blood-stained clothes were recovered on the appellant's disclosure statement, and a motive was established around a suspected illicit relationship. The trial court convicted the appellant and his father; the High Court affirmed the appellant's conviction while reducing his father's sentence to time served.
The Supreme Court held that the chain of circumstantial evidence was complete and pointed unerringly to the appellant's guilt. It accepted the "last seen together" theory despite the tea-stall owner not being examined, held that recovery of the knife and blood-stained clothes under Section 27 of the Evidence Act was validly admitted even though it followed an inadmissible police-custody statement, and found the forensic report (blood found though group unmatched) corroborative. The Court also held that minor exaggerations by one witness did not discredit his entire testimony, applying the principle that "falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus" has no application in India. The appeal was dismissed and the conviction and sentence were upheld.
A conviction can validly rest on well-corroborated circumstantial evidence alone, provided the facts form a complete chain inconsistent with innocence; minor witness inconsistencies or the unavailability of one witness do not automatically destroy an otherwise credible prosecution case.
