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 had been convicted and sentenced under Section 304B (dowry death) read with Section 498A IPC and Section 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1986. His appeal against that conviction (Criminal Appeal No. 1379 of 2008) was still pending before the Allahabad High Court, and separately, his application for bail had been rejected. Noting that the appellant had already spent around 14 years in jail, the Supreme Court had earlier (on 18.05.2018) granted him interim bail for six months while it considered his plea for regular bail during the pendency of his conviction appeal.
This judgment is the final disposal of that specific bail appeal (converted from the Special Leave Petition into Criminal Appeal No. 1448 of 2018): it does not decide the merits of his underlying conviction, which remains pending before the High Court. After hearing the State's counsel and considering the appellant's lengthy period of incarceration (about 14 years), the Supreme Court directed that he be released on regular bail during the pendency of his conviction appeal before the High Court, subject to conditions to be imposed by the trial court, and disposed of the appeal on that basis.
Prolonged pre-appeal incarceration (here, roughly 14 years while a conviction appeal remains undecided) is itself a strong ground for a convicted person to be released on bail pending the final outcome of that appeal, separate from and without pre-judging the merits of the conviction itself.
