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 husband was convicted by a Magistrate in 2004 for subjecting his wife to cruelty and demanding dowry, a conviction upheld on appeal by the Sessions Court and later in revision by the Allahabad High Court. The wife had lived with him for only about a year before separating, and alleged she was harassed, beaten, and suffered a miscarriage due to physical assault, though no medical evidence was ever produced to support the miscarriage or injury claims. The FIR was lodged after the husband had already filed for divorce, and the couple's divorce had since become final.
The Supreme Court found the wife's allegations to be vague and generalised, lacking specific dates, times, or details of the alleged harassment, and noted the complete absence of any medical evidence for the claimed physical assault or miscarriage. The trial court itself had already acquitted the husband and his family of assault and criminal intimidation charges for lack of evidence, yet convicted him on the dowry-related charges based on the same unsubstantiated testimony. The Court also flagged the pattern of matrimonial cases being used to rope in family members without specific allegations, and set aside the conviction, acquitting the appellant of all charges.
A criminal conviction for cruelty or dowry demand cannot rest on vague, unparticularised allegations unsupported by evidence such as medical records. Courts must guard against Section 498A being used as a tool of harassment in matrimonial disputes rather than genuine protection.
