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 and his wife, Chennamma, had been married for seventeen years; after an initially happy period, the relationship became strained, with allegations of cruelty and demands for money against the appellant. On the night of 20 July 2000, during a quarrel, the appellant allegedly poured kerosene on his wife and set her on fire; she died three days later from her burn injuries. The Trial Court acquitted the appellant, doubting the eyewitness and dying-declaration evidence, but the Karnataka High Court reversed the acquittal on the State's appeal, convicting him under Sections 302 and 498A IPC.
The Supreme Court upheld the High Court's conviction, holding that the Trial Court had wrongly acquitted the appellant based on minor discrepancies in witness testimony. It found the doctor's evidence, confirming the deceased was conscious and fit to give a statement, more reliable than a lay eyewitness's or investigating officer's account, and held her dying declaration was trustworthy. The Court concluded the evidence sufficiently established the appellant's guilt under both Section 498A (cruelty) and Section 302 (murder) IPC. The appeal was dismissed, and the appellant, who was on bail, was directed to surrender to serve the remainder of his sentence.
Minor inconsistencies in peripheral witness testimony do not undermine a conviction when direct medical evidence and a reliable dying declaration establish the core facts of the crime; appellate courts can and will reverse an unjustified acquittal where the trial court's reasoning does not withstand scrutiny.
