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 moreAn elderly woman living alone at home during the day was found strangled to death in her Nagpur apartment, with her television set missing. A neighbour saw two young men arrive on a motorcycle, enter the building, and leave shortly after, leading police to apprehend the appellants, from whom the stolen items were later recovered. The Sessions Court convicted them of murder and robbery, a sentence upheld by the Bombay High Court's Nagpur Bench, and the appellants brought a second appeal to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court examined the eyewitness testimony of the neighbour who saw the appellants near the scene, finding him a credible, disinterested witness whose account was corroborated by other prosecution witnesses and was never seriously challenged in cross-examination. The Court held that the recovered stolen items, duly identified by the victim's family, conclusively linked the appellants to the crime, and that their failure to explain their presence near the apartment or to offer any credible defence under Section 313 Cr.PC further supported the prosecution's case. Finding no factual or legal infirmity in the concurrent findings of the trial court and High Court, the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal and upheld the conviction and life sentence.
Courts can safely rely on consistent eyewitness identification corroborated by recovery of stolen property, and an accused's failure to offer any credible explanation for incriminating circumstances strengthens rather than weakens the case against them.
