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.
The petitioner had an agreement to purchase land and factory premises from the respondent in 1994, with performance due by October 1996. After the respondent failed to complete the sale, the petitioner filed a suit in 1999, more than three years after the due date, but worded it only as a suit for "mandatory injunction" (paying a nominal court fee) rather than for specific performance. The trial court later allowed him to pay the higher court fee and treated it as a specific performance suit, decreeing in his favour, but the First Appellate Court and the High Court reversed this, holding the claim was time-barred and the petitioner had not shown continuous readiness and willingness to perform.
The Supreme Court dismissed the special leave petition, agreeing with the High Court that the petitioner's approach was a "dubious" tactic to sidestep the limitation period: had he properly sought amendment of the plaint to add a specific performance claim, it likely would have been barred by limitation or not related back to the original filing date. The Court also held that no issue had been framed on, and no evidence given to show, the petitioner's continued readiness and willingness to perform the contract as required under Section 16(c) of the Specific Relief Act, especially given the unexplained three-year delay between his legal notice and filing suit. The Court found the First Appellate Court and High Court were right to reverse the trial court's decree.
If you intend to seek specific performance of a property sale agreement, you must file the correct type of suit with the correct court fee from the outset and act within the limitation period: courts will not allow a party to use procedural workarounds (like relabeling a suit later) to escape a missed limitation deadline.
