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 moreThree men were convicted by a Sessions Court of murdering a shopkeeper, Rajendra Prasad, in a village in Tehri Garhwal in 1990, after he was found beaten to death with cash and goods missing from his shop. The Uttarakhand High Court upheld the conviction on appeal. One of the three accused died during the pendency of further appeal, leaving two appellants, Surendra Singh and Ram Singh, who approached the Supreme Court by special leave, arguing the case rested entirely on circumstantial evidence that was insufficient to prove guilt.
The Supreme Court held that where two lower courts have concurrently appreciated the same evidence, it will not re-examine facts afresh unless the findings are shown to be perverse, based on no evidence, or reached by ignoring material evidence. Reviewing the record, the Court found seven unbroken circumstances proved by the prosecution, motive, the accused being last seen together near the scene, recovery of stolen articles and the murder weapon at the appellants' instance, identification of stolen goods, recovery of blood-stained clothes, and recovery of the shop's lock and key, all forming a complete chain pointing to the appellants' guilt. Finding no perversity or illegality in the concurrent findings of the Sessions Court and High Court, the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal and upheld the conviction.
A criminal conviction can validly rest entirely on circumstantial evidence, provided the prosecution establishes an unbroken chain of proved facts pointing only to the accused's guilt; and the Supreme Court will rarely disturb matching factual findings reached by two lower courts unless they are shown to be perverse or evidence-free.
