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 moreA body was found near a railway line in Kota, Rajasthan, and the respondents were charged with murder and destruction of evidence under Sections 302 and 201 read with Section 34 IPC. The trial court convicted them based on circumstantial evidence and sentenced them to life imprisonment, but the Rajasthan High Court acquitted them on appeal, holding that the prosecution's chain of circumstantial evidence was doubtful, contradictory, and unreliable: many key witnesses had not been produced and several others had turned hostile. The State of Rajasthan appealed the acquittal to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court reviewed the High Court's findings and agreed that the prosecution had failed to produce numerous material witnesses, including those who identified the body, those alleging motive, and witnesses to the arrest and recovery memos, leaving serious gaps in the chain of circumstances. It held that the prosecution had failed to complete the chain of events to the standard required for a conviction based on circumstantial evidence, i.e., consistent only with the guilt of the accused and inconsistent with their innocence. Finding no error in the High Court's reasoning, the Supreme Court held both appeals devoid of merit and dismissed them, upholding the acquittal.
A criminal conviction built on circumstantial evidence requires every link in the chain to be fully and reliably established through actual witness testimony: gaps caused by not producing key witnesses, or witnesses turning hostile, can be fatal to the prosecution's case even after a trial-court conviction.
