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.
In a custody dispute between separated parents, the Allahabad High Court (Lucknow Bench) dismissed the mother's habeas corpus petition seeking custody of her minor daughter, who was living with the father's side of the family, but granted the mother only minimal visitation: two hours, once a month, at the office of the District Legal Services Authority. The mother appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing this arrangement was grossly inadequate for maintaining any real relationship with her child.
The Supreme Court held that the High Court's visitation order was wholly unsatisfactory, since meeting in a government office for two hours a month cannot allow a parent and child to build a natural relationship. Relying on its own precedent emphasising that a child has a basic right to the love, affection and company of both parents (and that courts must spell out visitation terms in specific, workable detail), the Court replaced the High Court's arrangement with a detailed, progressively expanding schedule: weekend day-visits for the first eight weeks, expanding to full weekend overnight stays thereafter, time during festivals and summer vacations, participation on the child's birthday, attendance at school functions, and daily phone/video calls. The mother was also given liberty to separately pursue full custody under the Guardians and Wards Act if she wished.
Courts must design visitation arrangements that actually let a child and the non-custodial parent develop a genuine bond in a natural setting: token, supervised meetings in an institutional office are not an adequate substitute, and visitation orders should be specific and capable of growing over time.
