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 moreDuring a quarrel over spreading rubble in a field, accused Devraj shot the complainant's relative Chandrakant in the chest with a licensed pistol, and when the complainant Suryakant (the appellant, an injured eyewitness) tried to intervene, Devraj shot him too; two other accused allegedly joined in beating a third person with fists, a stick, and a knife. The trial court convicted all three accused under Section 307 (attempt to murder) read with Section 34 IPC and sentenced the main shooter, Devraj, to seven years' rigorous imprisonment, but the Bombay High Court on appeal reduced Devraj's sentence to five years, acquitted the other two of the attempt-to-murder charge (convicting them instead of a lesser offence with sentences reduced to time already served), while raising the compensation payable to victims. The injured complainant appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing the High Court had shown undue leniency.
The Supreme Court held that the High Court was wrong to reduce Devraj's sentence, given that the gunshot wound to the victim's chest was medically opined to be capable of causing death and the weapon used was a firearm, sentencing must be proportionate to the gravity of the offence, and undue sympathy in sentencing undermines public confidence in the justice system. It restored a higher sentence for Devraj, directing him to undergo six years and six months' rigorous imprisonment for the Section 307 offence (crediting the enhanced compensation he had already paid), and ordered him to surrender within four weeks. However, the Court declined to interfere with the acquittal of the two unarmed co-accused on the attempt-to-murder charge or with the reduced sentence (time served) for their lesser conviction, since they had not used deadly weapons, so the appeal was dismissed as against them.
Courts must impose sentences proportionate to the gravity of the crime and the weapon/injury involved: undue leniency in sentencing (especially where a firearm causes life-threatening injury) can be corrected on appeal, even though sentencing is otherwise a matter of judicial discretion.
