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 Sub-Divisional Officer in Maharashtra, was accused in a bribery trap case registered under the Prevention of Corruption Act after a complainant alleged a demand of Rs. 75,000 for issuing a land-use certificate. The key evidence was a secretly recorded conversation, but the state forensic laboratory found the recording inaudible and unfit for spectrographic analysis. The trial Magistrate declined to proceed against the appellant for want of material, but the High Court set that aside and directed proceedings to continue.
The Supreme Court held that since the voice recording was never forensically verified as audible or authentic, no reliance could be placed on a "translated" version of it, as source and authenticity are essential prerequisites for electronic evidence (applying its earlier ruling in Anvar P.V. v. P.K. Basheer). With the recording, the sole basis for implicating the appellant, excluded, there was no material connecting him to the offence. The Court held that prosecuting someone without any supporting material violates Article 21, and that courts cannot direct sanctioning authorities to grant sanction for prosecution as a matter of course. It held the High Court had exceeded its jurisdiction by substituting its own view without legal basis, set aside the impugned High Court order, and allowed the appeal.
Electronic evidence such as recordings can only be relied upon if its source and authenticity are properly established (ideally through a certificate/forensic verification); an inaudible or unverified recording cannot form the sole basis for criminal prosecution, and courts will protect individuals from being compelled to face trial on no real evidence.
