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, an Octroi Inspector in Rajpura municipal area, was accused of demanding and accepting Rs. 500 per month as a bribe from a tractor-trolley operator in exchange for allowing entry into the municipal limits. A vigilance trap was laid, tainted currency notes were recovered from him, and he was convicted by the Special Judge, Patiala under Sections 7 and 13(2) of the Prevention of Corruption Act and sentenced to two years' rigorous imprisonment. The Punjab and Haryana High Court upheld the conviction but reduced the sentence to one year. The complainant had turned hostile during trial and resiled from his original statement.
The Supreme Court dismissed the appeal and upheld the conviction. It held that even where the complainant turns hostile on the question of "demand," the prosecution can still prove its case through independent witnesses and documentary evidence (here, an independent witness to the raid and the chemical examiner's report), and that recovery of tainted money raises a statutory presumption under Section 20 of the Act which the accused must rebut. The Court also used the occasion to strongly criticise the practice of trial courts granting repeated, unwarranted adjournments that let cross-examinations be deferred for years, allowing witnesses to be "won over", and directed that copies of the judgment be circulated to all High Court Chief Justices for onward transmission to trial judges.
A bribery conviction can stand even if the original complainant later turns hostile, so long as independent witnesses and forensic evidence (such as a chemical test on the accused's hands) corroborate the demand and acceptance of the bribe; mere possession of recovered cash shifts the burden onto the accused to prove innocence.
