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 was tried and convicted by a Sessions Court in Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh for kidnapping a seven-year-old girl, sexually assaulting her, and murdering her, based on circumstantial evidence (being last seen with the victim, recovery of the body and blood-stained clothes from his house, etc.). The trial court sentenced him to death, and the Madhya Pradesh High Court confirmed the conviction and death sentence on reference. The appellant then appealed to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court upheld the conviction, finding the chain of circumstantial evidence complete and reliable, and even noted the trial court had erred by convicting only for attempted (not completed) sexual assault given the medical evidence, though this could not be corrected since neither the State nor the complainant had appealed that point. On sentencing, however, the Court held that the case did not meet the "rarest of rare" threshold required to confirm a death sentence, relying on the Constitution Bench ruling in Union of India v. V. Sriharan and Swamy Shraddananda(2) v. State of Karnataka, which allow the Court to impose a specified minimum term of life imprisonment as a middle path between a 14-year ordinary life sentence and death. The Court commuted the death sentence to life imprisonment with a direction that the appellant not be released until he completes 25 actual years in prison.
Even where a conviction for a brutal crime is confirmed, the Supreme Court can decline to confirm a death sentence if the case does not meet the strict "rarest of rare" standard, and can instead fix a specific extended minimum term (here, 25 years) of life imprisonment using its Article 142 powers: a sentencing middle ground citizens should know exists between ordinary life imprisonment and the death penalty.
