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 Sepoy in the Indian Army was accused of assaulting a senior officer with a sharp weapon, causing a skull fracture. He was tried by Summary Court Martial, a proceeding that lasted less than an hour, found guilty, and dismissed from service. The Armed Forces Tribunal later set aside the dismissal, finding serious procedural lapses, including that the soldier was denied a chance to cross-examine witnesses and that his signatures appeared to have been obtained on blank pages before the evidence was actually recorded. The Union of India appealed to the Supreme Court against that reversal.
The Supreme Court independently examined the original Court of Inquiry and summary-of-evidence records and confirmed the Tribunal's finding: the soldier's signatures were placed on pages in a manner showing they were taken in advance of the testimony being written in, and the Summary Court Martial itself was conducted in under 45 minutes without affording him a chance to cross-examine witnesses, violating Army Rules 179 and 180. The Court also noted genuine inconsistencies between the medical evidence (a "compressed" type injury) and the prosecution's account of a sharp-edged weapon assault, along with the absence of blood or fingerprints on the alleged weapon. Applying the settled principle that an appellate court should not disturb an acquittal-type finding unless the trial court's view was perverse or legally impossible, and that where two reasonable views exist the one favouring the accused must prevail, the Court upheld the Tribunal's order and dismissed the Union of India's appeal.
Even in military disciplinary proceedings, basic fair-trial safeguards, a genuine opportunity to cross-examine witnesses and a proper, contemporaneous recording of evidence, are mandatory, and courts will not uphold a conviction or dismissal obtained by cutting corners on procedure, however serious the underlying allegation.
