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 respondents had been convicted under IPC provisions relating to rioting and causing hurt (Sections 147, 148, 323, 504, 307 read with 149) and sentenced to three years' imprisonment. The Karnataka High Court, on appeal, had converted the conviction to lesser offences (Sections 148 and 324 read with 149) and reduced the punishment to fines only, noting the accused had already spent time in jail and that the parties had "purchased peace" (reconciled). The State of Karnataka appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing the High Court's reduced punishment was inadequate for the gravity of the offence.
The Supreme Court agreed with the State that the punishment imposed by the High Court was too lenient, but given the specific facts, the respondents had already served part of a jail term, the incident dated back to 2007 (over a decade earlier), and the parties had genuinely settled their dispute, it declined to send the accused back to prison. Instead, it increased the monetary punishment, directing the accused to pay a total fine of Rs. 50,000 to the victim (PW5) within three months, with a default clause providing for three months' imprisonment if the fine was not paid. The appeals were disposed of on these modified terms.
Even when the Supreme Court finds a lower court's sentence too lenient, it can tailor the remedy to the practical realities of an old case where the parties have genuinely reconciled: here, by substantially increasing the fine payable to the victim instead of ordering fresh imprisonment, while still keeping a jail term as a backstop if the fine goes unpaid.
