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 under Section 302/34 of the Indian Penal Code (murder, with common intention) by the Additional Sessions Judge, Gonda, and sentenced to life imprisonment. His criminal appeal against that conviction had been pending before the Allahabad High Court, Lucknow Bench, for several years without being taken up for final hearing. He approached the Supreme Court seeking bail while that appeal remained pending.
On an earlier hearing, the Supreme Court had directed the appellant to produce a Custody Certificate. That certificate showed he had already spent more than 11 years in actual custody, and considerably more with remission counted in. Given that his High Court appeal was still awaiting final hearing after all this time, the Court held that he should be released on bail during the pendency of that appeal, subject to rigorous conditions to be fixed by the trial court. The Supreme Court accordingly granted bail and disposed of the appeal before it (the bail petition itself), leaving the underlying criminal appeal to be decided by the High Court in due course.
Prolonged pre-appeal incarceration, especially where an appeal has languished for years without a final hearing, is itself a strong ground for the Supreme Court to grant bail: the right to a timely hearing matters even for a convict already sentenced, not just an undertrial.
