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 partnership firm built and operated a toll road for the Rajasthan government under an agreement, and shortly before the road was inaugurated, the firm was converted into a private limited company under the Companies Act. The company then claimed a tax deduction under Section 80-IA of the Income Tax Act (available to companies operating infrastructure facilities under government agreements), but the tax assessing officer denied the claim, arguing the agreement was originally with the firm, not the company, and that the eligibility conditions weren't met. The Commissioner of Income Tax (Appeals) and the Income Tax Appellate Tribunal both ruled in the company's favour, and the Rajasthan High Court upheld that view, prompting the tax department's appeal to the Supreme Court.
The Court held that when a partnership firm converts into a company under Part IX of the Companies Act, all its properties, rights, and liabilities automatically vest in the new company by operation of law: no fresh conveyance or re-execution of contracts is needed. Since the firm had informed the government from the outset (even before signing the original agreement) that it intended to convert into a company, and the government had acknowledged this and granted fresh registration to the company, the agreement was legally treated as continuing with the company as successor. The company was found to satisfy both conditions under Section 80-IA(4)(i), being a company-owned enterprise and having a qualifying agreement with the state government, and was therefore entitled to the tax deduction. The appeal was dismissed.
When a business is converted from a partnership firm into a company, existing government contracts and the legal benefits tied to them (such as tax deductions) automatically pass to the new company, provided the conversion and the government's acknowledgment of it are properly documented: there is no need to execute a fresh agreement.
