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 moreK. Raghunath, a realtor closely associated with a late Member of Parliament, was found dead by hanging in 2019 after leaving home following a summons from relatives amid a dispute over valuable properties. His death was initially treated as suicide, but his wife later filed a private complaint alleging murder by certain relatives. A Magistrate ordered an FIR and, after rejecting a Special Investigation Team's "B" report as shoddy, directed further investigation by the local police; the accused's relatives challenged this, and the Karnataka High Court instead ordered the CBI to further investigate. The appellants (the deceased's father and brother, and another respondent) appealed to the Supreme Court against the CBI investigation.
The Supreme Court held that since the appellants had earlier withdrawn their own challenge to registration of the FIR before the High Court, that issue could not be reopened. On the core question, the Court reiterated settled law that constitutional courts can direct a CBI investigation in exceptional situations to ensure credibility and public confidence, particularly where there are serious doubts about the fairness of the earlier investigation (here, two conflicting wills, allegations of a fabricated will, and a Truth Lab report questioning one will's authenticity). It also held that a prospective accused has no right to be heard at the stage of directing further investigation. Finding the High Court's direction justified given the glaring defects in the earlier SIT probe, the Supreme Court affirmed the CBI investigation and dismissed the appeals, directing the CBI to complete the investigation within 8 months.
Courts can hand a stalled or suspect police investigation over to the CBI even without the accused's consent or a hearing at that stage, and once you withdraw a legal challenge (such as to an FIR), you generally cannot revive that same objection in a later appeal.
