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 moreA government clerk was accused of demanding a bribe of Rs. 500 from a businessman to expedite approval of a land-use permission, and of having a second clerk collect the money on his behalf. A police trap caught the second clerk with the marked currency, and ultraviolet-light testing showed traces of the chemical powder used to mark the bribe money on both accused. The trial court convicted both men, but the Gujarat High Court acquitted them, reasoning that there was no recovery from the clerk who allegedly demanded the bribe and that demand and acceptance had not been proved.
The Supreme Court held that the High Court wrongly discounted the consistent testimony of the complainant and an eyewitness, as well as the corroborating anthracene-powder evidence on both accused, which together proved both demand and acceptance of the bribe. The Court reaffirmed that under Section 20 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, once possession of bribe money is shown, a presumption of guilt arises that the accused must rebut, which these accused failed to do. The Court restored the trial court's conviction under Sections 7 and 13(1)(d) of the Act, though, given that the offence was nearly 27 years old, it reduced the sentence under Section 13(1)(d) from two years to the statutory minimum of one year.
In bribery cases, consistent witness testimony combined with scientific corroboration (such as a chemical trace test) can be sufficient to prove demand and acceptance of a bribe, and an appellate court should not lightly overturn a trial court's well-reasoned conviction on such evidence.
