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's sister, Shahida Bano, died under suspicious circumstances less than two years into her marriage; her body was found with a ligature mark, but the post-mortem found "asphyxia due to ante-mortem strangulation," ruling out suicide. The FIR alleged that her husband's family had repeatedly demanded dowry (first a motorcycle, then a car) and subjected her to cruelty, leading to charges under Sections 498A and 304B IPC and the Dowry Prohibition Act against the father-in-law, mother-in-law, and two sisters-in-law. The Sessions Court had refused bail to all four, but the Allahabad High Court granted bail to each of them in separate orders, prompting the brother's appeal.
The Supreme Court cancelled the bail of the father-in-law and mother-in-law, finding a strong prima facie case that they played a principal role in the dowry demands and cruelty that culminated in the death, and criticised the High Court's "mechanical" approach that overlooked the gravity of the evidence, including the violent injuries found on the body. However, it upheld bail for the two sisters-in-law, noting their comparatively peripheral role and personal circumstances (one recently married, the other a young student and teacher), while making clear this was not a comment on the merits of the case against them.
In dowry-death cases, courts must scrutinise bail applications strictly rather than granting them mechanically, especially for those accused of playing a direct role, but even among co-accused in the same case, bail outcomes can reasonably differ based on each person's specific role and circumstances.
