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, a factory worker, was convicted of murder under Section 302 IPC and sentenced to life imprisonment for fatally assaulting a co-worker with a wooden rod during a night shift, after an exchange of hot words while the deceased was serving tea. The High Court had affirmed the conviction and sentence. The Supreme Court had earlier restricted its notice in this appeal specifically to the nature of the offence and the quantum of punishment.
The Supreme Court accepted that the altercation and the assault happened suddenly, in the heat of the moment, with no evidence of premeditation on the appellant's part. On that basis, it held that the offence fell short of murder and instead modified the conviction from Section 302 IPC (murder) to Section 304 Part I IPC (culpable homicide not amounting to murder). The sentence was reduced to the period already undergone by the appellant, and the appeal was partly allowed with a direction for his immediate release unless he was wanted in any other case.
A killing committed in a sudden quarrel without premeditation, even if deadly, may be treated by courts as culpable homicide rather than murder: the presence or absence of premeditation and intent can be decisive in whether a sentence of life imprisonment for murder is reduced to one matching time already served.
