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 appellants, wife and mother of a man who died in a motor accident in 2012, were awarded compensation by the Motor Accident Claims Tribunal based on his monthly salary of Rs. 9,000, later enhanced by the Madras High Court to Rs. 15,000 per month. The appellants argued that a salary certificate showing his actual income as Rs. 23,419 per month (from a sister company of his employer) had been wrongly disregarded by the High Court.
The Supreme Court held that since the salary certificate and bank statements for the period closest to the accident were duly proved and were never effectively challenged by the insurer during cross-examination, there was no justification for discarding them in favour of older, lower salary figures. Recalculating compensation using the proven monthly income of Rs. 23,419, a multiplier of 17, 40% future prospects, and standard additions as laid down in the Constitution Bench ruling in National Insurance Co. v. Pranay Sethi, the Court raised the total compensation to Rs. 45,28,981 (about Rs. 45.29 lakh), payable with 9% annual interest from the date of filing.
In compensation claims, courts must rely on the most recent and properly proved salary evidence (such as certificates and bank records) rather than discounting it in favour of older figures, especially when the other side does not seriously contest that evidence in cross-examination.
