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.
Dayle De'Souza was a director of a company contracted to service and replenish ATMs for a bank in Madhya Pradesh. After a labour inspection at one ATM site, the Labour Enforcement Officer (Central) alleged non-compliance with the Minimum Wages Act and Rules, and filed a criminal complaint against De'Souza and a company official. The Madhya Pradesh High Court declined to quash this complaint/summoning proceedings under Section 482 CrPC.
The Supreme Court examined the statutory scheme under Section 22A of the Minimum Wages Act and the procedure for taking cognizance on a public servant's complaint. It held that although pre-summoning evidence may be dispensed with when a public servant files the complaint, the Magistrate must still independently apply judicial mind to whether a prima facie case is made out before issuing process: the exemption does not mean automatic summoning. Finding the summoning order and proceedings against the appellant unsustainable on the facts, the Court allowed the appeal, quashed the summoning order and the proceedings against him, and extended the same relief to the co-accused.
Even when a complaint is filed by a public servant in the discharge of official duty (which carries procedural advantages like exemption from pre-summoning evidence), a magistrate must still apply independent judicial scrutiny before summoning an accused: criminal process cannot be issued mechanically.
