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.
The respondent-landlord, an elderly retiree with no other home, sought to evict his tenant, Dr. Sharma, from a portion of his house on the ground of bona fide personal need. The tenant resisted, arguing that a later, unregistered 1993 agreement in which the landlord agreed to sell him the premises (with part payment already made) had converted their relationship from landlord-tenant to buyer-seller, ending the tenancy altogether. The Prescribed Authority and the first Appellate Court accepted the tenant's argument and dismissed the eviction case, but the High Court reversed this and allowed eviction.
The Supreme Court held that merely entering into an agreement to sell a rented property to the existing tenant does not automatically end the tenancy under Section 111 of the Transfer of Property Act: that requires either an express surrender clause in the agreement or clear facts showing an implied surrender, neither of which existed here, since the 1993 agreement contained no provision addressing the tenancy's fate at all. The Court distinguished an earlier precedent relied upon by the tenant, where the sale agreement had explicitly stated possession had already been "surrendered." It also upheld the factual finding that the landlord had a genuine need to live in his own house with his family in his old age. The appeals were dismissed, with the tenant given three months to vacate after clearing rent arrears.
Agreeing to sell your rented home to your own tenant does not by itself cancel the tenancy or stop you from later seeking eviction for genuine personal need: the sale agreement must explicitly say the tenancy is being given up for that effect to follow.
