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.
14543 more judgements for members
You're seeing the newest cases. Log in — it's free — to keep scrolling, search by name or judge, and filter by court or legal area.
Log in to see moreThe appellant was convicted of murdering his wife Mamta and twelve-year-old daughter Sapna during a drunken domestic altercation in June 2014 in Mainpuri, Uttar Pradesh, and was sentenced to death by the Trial Court, a sentence the Allahabad High Court confirmed. On appeal, the Supreme Court examined how the trial itself had been conducted rather than only the evidence, given the gravity of a capital sentence.
The Supreme Court found the trial was riddled with serious procedural lapses that undermined the appellant's constitutional right to a fair trial under Article 21: most notably an improper and inadequate examination of the accused under Section 313 of the CrPC (the stage where an accused must be meaningfully confronted with the evidence against him), and a trial process so poorly managed that it was adjourned roughly 52 times, largely due to failure to produce witnesses. The Court held that such fundamental non-compliance with fair trial safeguards, especially in a case carrying the death penalty, could not be cured or ignored, and vitiated the conviction and sentence entirely. It set aside both the Trial Court's conviction/death sentence and the High Court's confirmation, and remanded the case for a fresh trial starting from the framing-of-charge stage, directing the Trial Court to proceed on a day-to-day basis and conclude within about a year.
A conviction, especially one carrying the death penalty, cannot stand if the trial process itself failed to meet basic fair-trial safeguards like a proper examination of the accused and timely production of witnesses; procedural rigour in criminal trials is not a technicality but a constitutional guarantee that protects everyone, however serious the alleged crime.
