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 moreFollowing an old land dispute, the accused assaulted two men, causing a grievous skull fracture to one victim (Kapurchand) that doctors described as life-threatening. The trial court convicted the accused of causing grievous hurt and simple hurt, sentencing him to three years' and six months' imprisonment respectively, but the High Court, while confirming the conviction, reduced his sentence to the mere six days he had already spent in custody, giving no reasons for such leniency. The State of Rajasthan appealed to the Supreme Court solely seeking enhancement of this inadequate sentence.
The Supreme Court held that the High Court had been far too lenient given the seriousness of the injury, a life-threatening skull fracture, and had failed to assign any valid reasons for reducing the sentence to just six days already served. Reiterating that sentencing must be proportionate to the gravity of the offence and should not erode public confidence in the justice system, while also noting the parties had since lived peacefully for 25 years, the Court enhanced the sentence to six months' rigorous imprisonment plus a fine of Rs. 25,000 (to be paid as compensation to the victim), with a further three months in default of payment. The appeal was allowed and the High Court's judgment was modified accordingly.
A court reducing a criminal sentence to a token or negligible period must give reasoned justification proportionate to the harm caused: an unexplained, excessively lenient sentence for a serious injury can be corrected on appeal even years later.
