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.
Adani Gas Ltd. supplies piped natural gas to industrial, commercial and domestic customers and installs metering equipment (a "SKID" unit of valves, filters, regulators and electronic meters) at each customer's premises to regulate supply and record consumption for billing. The tax department demanded service tax on the "gas connection charges" collected for this equipment under the "supply of tangible goods" category (Section 65(105)(zzzzj) of the Finance Act, 1994), while Adani Gas argued the charges were merely refundable security deposits and that the equipment was for its own benefit, not the customer's "use." The CESTAT tribunal had ruled in Adani Gas's favour, prompting the tax department's appeal to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court held that the SKID equipment was supplied "for the use of" the customer within the meaning of Section 65(105)(zzzzj), even though ownership and possession remained with Adani Gas, because the customer had a genuine interest in accurate billing and safe gas supply, and because the Gas Sales Agreement cast reciprocal obligations on the customer regarding the equipment. The Court rejected the "refundable security deposit" argument on facts, noting refunds varied unpredictably by customer and were not documented as deposits. It therefore set aside the Tribunal's order, restored the original tax demand, and allowed the appeal.
In service-tax/GST-type "supply of tangible goods" disputes, what matters is whether the customer derives a practical benefit from equipment supplied to them, not merely who legally owns or controls it; businesses cannot avoid tax by labelling genuine service charges as "refundable deposits" without consistent supporting documentation.
