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 moreOn the night of 2 July 1990, Mangal Singh and his wife Kala Wati were returning home after closing their tea shop when they confronted a neighbour, Girdhari, about illegally tapping electricity from a pole. The confrontation turned into a sudden quarrel, during which Sita Ram and two others picked up a hockey stick and a danda (stick) lying nearby and beat Mangal Singh, who later died of his injuries; Kala Wati was also injured while trying to intervene. The trial court convicted Sita Ram of murder under Section 302 read with Section 34 IPC and sentenced him to life imprisonment, and the Delhi High Court upheld this conviction, leading to the present appeal before the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court held that the attack was not premeditated: the accused were unarmed before the quarrel broke out and picked up the sticks only during the sudden fight, with most of the injuries (except three on the head) being on the hands, shoulders and arms rather than vital areas. Applying the four conditions for "Exception 4 to Section 300 IPC" (no premeditation, a sudden fight in the heat of passion, no undue advantage taken, and no cruel or unusual conduct), the Court found all were satisfied in Sita Ram's case. It therefore downgraded his conviction from murder (Section 302) to culpable homicide not amounting to murder (Section 304 Part II), and reduced his sentence to eight years' rigorous imprisonment.
Indian criminal law distinguishes between a premeditated killing (murder) and a killing that erupts suddenly from a heat-of-the-moment quarrel without pre-existing weapons or deliberate cruelty: the latter can be treated as the lesser offence of culpable homicide, resulting in a significantly reduced sentence even where a death has occurred.
