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.
Criminal Appeal · 2026 INSC 1073
In circumstantial-evidence cases, forensic and DNA evidence must actually corroborate the alleged crime: a conviction cannot survive where the most crucial scientific evidence, on its own terms, points away from rather than toward the prosecution's theory.
Criminal Appeal · 2026 INSC 1074
A conviction based purely on circumstantial evidence requires every link in the chain, timeline, witness credibility, forensic matches, and motive, to be proven beyond reasonable doubt; gaps or suppressed evidence at any link entitle the accused to the benefit of the doubt, even in a serious case like a double murder.
Criminal Miscellaneous Case · 2026:DHC:8505
Courts will not quash a criminal case merely because the accused has a plausible alibi-type defence; unless that defence is conclusive and undisputed, the matter must be tested through the ordinary trial process.
Criminal Miscellaneous Case · 2026:DHC:8547
A private compromise between victim and accused cannot by itself secure quashing of a case involving serious, heinous allegations like attempted murder with a weapon: such matters must proceed to trial regardless of settlement.
First Appeal from Order · 2026:DHC:8563
Railway Claims Tribunals cannot reject a bona fide passenger's death claim based on speculative inferences when there is no direct evidence of an alternative cause of death; the compensation scheme under the Railways Act is to be interpreted generously in favour of victims' families.
Criminal Miscellaneous Case · 2026:DHC:8559
In matrimonial offences, courts can and do quash criminal proceedings once a genuine compromise is verified directly with the complainant, sparing both parties a prolonged and pointless trial.
Bail Application · 2026:DHC:8541
A co-accused's bail does not automatically extend to another accused where their actual roles in the offence differ materially; delay caused by one's own defence counsel cannot later be used as a ground for bail.
Execution Petition · 2026:DHC:8567
An arbitral award must be adequately stamped before a court can enforce it; courts give only a limited window to cure such defects, after which the award becomes legally unusable until the deficiency is fixed.
Arbitration Petition · 2026:DHC:8555
A genuine settlement reached through mediation renders a pending arbitration-related court petition moot, allowing parties to close out litigation quickly once they resolve their dispute privately.
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Legal Case Shots is a searchable database of Supreme Court of India judgments, each broken down into the case type, the court's key holding, and a practical lesson learnt, with the full judgment available as a PDF for citation or deeper reading.
K.S. Infraspace claimed it had a concluded agreement to buy about 19,685 sq. m. of land in Vadodara from Ambalal Sarabhai Enterprise and its sister concerns for over Rs. 90 crore, based on prolonged email and WhatsApp negotiations and a "final draft" MoU. Before the deal was formally signed, the sellers instead sold the land to a third company after that buyer cleared the sellers' outstanding income-tax dues. K.S. Infraspace sued for specific performance and obtained a temporary injunction from the trial court (affirmed by the Gujarat High Court) restraining the sellers from dealing further with the land.
The Supreme Court held that the plaintiff had not shown a strong prima facie case of a concluded contract: the negotiations remained at a "draft"/"embryo" stage, with no clear proof that acceptance was communicated before the sellers finalized the sale to the third party. The plaintiff's own conduct counted against it: it accepted a refund of its advance payment without objection, waited seven months before suing, and let the new buyer invest over Rs. 45 crore in reliance on the sale. Since the balance of convenience and the plaintiff's delay favored the sellers, the Court set aside the injunction (while leaving the underlying suit to be decided on its merits at trial) and allowed the appeals.
In high-value commercial dealings, informal communications like emails and WhatsApp messages over a "draft" proposal may not amount to a binding, concluded contract; and a party seeking an injunction must act promptly: long delay in approaching court can itself defeat the claim for interim relief.
