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, a public servant, was convicted and sentenced to two years' simple imprisonment for allegedly demanding and accepting a bribe, with the money said to have been recovered through a co-accused (Janakraj) and confirmed by the standard "hand-wash" chemical test used by investigators to detect traces of the phenolphthalein powder used to mark bribe money. The conviction, upheld by the courts below, rested on the prosecution proving the three essential elements of a bribery offence under the Prevention of Corruption Act: demand, acceptance, and recovery.
The Supreme Court scrutinised the prosecution's evidence step by step and found critical gaps in establishing the chain connecting the appellant to the actual acceptance and recovery of the bribe: in particular, no witness testimony (from the panch witness or the shadow witness) established that the mandatory hand-wash procedure confirming recovery from the appellant himself was properly and chronologically carried out. Concluding that the prosecution had failed to prove demand, acceptance, and recovery as a connected, legally sufficient chain against the appellant specifically, the Court held the conviction could not be sustained. The appeal was allowed, the conviction and sentence were set aside, and since the appellant was on bail, his bail bonds were discharged.
A bribery conviction requires the prosecution to prove demand, acceptance, and recovery as a complete and properly corroborated chain specifically tied to the accused: gaps in witness testimony about procedures like the chemical hand-wash test can be fatal to an otherwise seemingly strong corruption case.
