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 moreKanhaiya Lal was accused of fatally attacking a man named Raju with an axe blow to the head, in front of an eyewitness, after the two had an altercation earlier that morning. The trial court convicted him of murder under Section 302 IPC and sentenced him to life imprisonment, but the Rajasthan High Court on appeal downgraded the conviction to culpable homicide not amounting to murder (Section 304 Part I IPC), reducing his sentence to 8 years. The State of Rajasthan appealed to the Supreme Court against this downgrading.
The Supreme Court held that a single, forceful axe blow to a vital part of the body (the head) is sufficient to establish an intention to kill, meeting the definition of murder under Section 300 IPC: the absence of repeated blows does not by itself reduce the offence. The Court also rejected the High Court's reasoning that a morning altercation negated intent, since that altercation was not immediately before or during the actual attack. Finding the High Court's judgment "manifestly perverse" and contrary to the evidence, the Supreme Court set it aside, restored the trial court's conviction under Section 302 IPC, and reinstated the life sentence, directing the accused to surrender if he had already been released.
Courts assess intent to kill from the nature of the injury and weapon used, not merely the number of blows: a single blow with a deadly weapon to a vital body part can be enough to sustain a murder conviction, and appellate courts cannot dilute this standard without solid evidentiary basis.
