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 moreIn November 2019, the wife of the first prosecution witness went missing after being dropped off in a village to sell utensils; her body was found the next day. Three accused, including the appellant (referred to as "A2"), were tried and convicted for rape and murder under Sections 302 and 376D read with Section 34 of the IPC and Section 3(2)(v) of the SC/ST Act. The trial court had sentenced the accused to death, but the High Court's Division Bench commuted this to life imprisonment for the remainder of the appellant's natural life. Leave to appeal to the Supreme Court was granted only on the limited question of the quantum of sentence, though the Court also examined the conviction itself to satisfy itself of its correctness.
While confirming the appellant's conviction for rape and murder, the Supreme Court expressed serious reservations about some of the reasoning the High Court had used to support the conviction under the SC/ST Act, but clarified this did not disturb the conviction itself. It acquitted him of a separate theft charge (Section 404 IPC, relating to a stolen mobile phone) for lack of sufficient evidence connecting him to that offence. On sentencing, the Court noted the appellant was 40 years old, the sole earning member supporting a wife, four children, and aged parents, had no prior criminal record, and had no adverse conduct report from jail authorities: factors the High Court itself had accepted while still imposing life imprisonment for his entire remaining life without any finding that the case was among the "rarest of the rare." The Supreme Court held that a fixed term was more appropriate than an open-ended life sentence in these circumstances, and modified the sentence under Section 302 (murder) to 25 years' imprisonment without remission, while affirming the sentence under Section 376D (gang rape), both to run concurrently. The Court also directed the Registry to notify the Telangana Legal Services Authority to provide legal aid to the two co-accused (who had not appealed) so they could pursue their own appeals if they wished.
Even after a conviction for a serious crime like rape and murder is upheld, a court must independently justify why an open-ended sentence (imprisonment for the remainder of natural life) is warranted over a fixed prison term: factors like the absence of a prior criminal record, good conduct in custody, and family circumstances remain relevant at the sentencing stage even where the underlying conviction stands.
