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.
A woman ("the Vendor") agreed in 1984 to sell 300 square yards of land to another woman ("the Vendee") for Rs. 75,000, receiving a substantial advance. Unknown to the Vendee at first, the Vendor had earlier also promised 100 of those square yards to a third person, Pratap Reddy, and shortly after taking the Vendee's money, went ahead and executed a registered sale deed transferring that 100 square yards to Pratap Reddy. The Vendee sued for specific performance (compelling sale) of the full 300 square yards, but only added Pratap Reddy as a party to that lawsuit several years later, by which time any claim against him was time-barred.
The Supreme Court upheld the lower courts' concurrent finding that the Vendee had genuinely been ready and willing to pay the full price and was not at fault for the deal falling through. However, because Pratap Reddy's registered sale deed for the 100 square yards had already taken legal effect, and the Vendee's claim against him specifically was time-barred for not being brought in time, the Court held that only partial specific performance was possible, ordering the Vendor to transfer the remaining 200 square yards to the Vendee, with the price proportionately reduced. The appeals challenging this partial-performance outcome were dismissed.
If part of a property you've agreed to buy turns out to already be promised or sold to someone else, you must bring that person into your lawsuit promptly, delaying too long can mean losing your claim to that portion permanently, even if you win the rest of your case.
