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 Chennai builder, D. Rajan Dev, applied in May 2011 for additional Floor Space Index (FSI) under the government's "Premium FSI Scheme" for a residential-cum-commercial project. By the time the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority (CMDA) processed the application and the government finally approved it in May 2012, the land's official guideline value (used to calculate the FSI charge) had risen sharply. The builder argued he should pay based on the lower guideline value prevailing when he first applied, and the Madras High Court's Division Bench agreed with him, directing CMDA to recalculate charges at the earlier, lower rate.
The Supreme Court held that no legal right accrues to a builder merely by filing an application: the right to the Premium FSI benefit arises only once the government actually grants approval, and charges must be calculated using the guideline value in force on that approval date, not the application date. The Court found no undue delay by CMDA or the government in processing the application, noting the builder himself had initially submitted a defective plan. It relied on its own recent precedent (Prestige Estates) holding that Premium FSI liability crystallises on the date of government approval. The High Court's judgment was set aside, the appeal was allowed, and CMDA was permitted to recover the balance Premium FSI charges from the builder.
Merely submitting an application for a government permission or benefit does not create a vested right: the applicable rates, fees, or charges are generally those prevailing on the date the authority actually grants approval, not the date the application was filed, unless the authority itself caused unreasonable delay.
