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.
Dr. Rohit Kumar, a doctor employed by the Delhi government, cleared the highly competitive INICET-2020 exam and was allotted a seat for a postgraduate course (MD Paediatrics) at PGI Chandigarh. However, the Delhi government had meanwhile adopted a COVID-19 policy refusing further study leave to its hospital doctors, and his leave application was rejected on that basis. As a result, he lost his admission for the January 2021 session, and his writ petitions challenging this were dismissed by both a Single Judge and a Division Bench of the Delhi High Court.
The Supreme Court held that the government's policy of withholding study leave during the pandemic was not arbitrary or discriminatory given the genuine public-health emergency, and the authorities had not acted illegally. However, invoking its special power under Article 142 of the Constitution to do complete justice, the Court noted that the COVID-19 situation in Delhi had since improved dramatically and that the appellant had suffered real injustice through no fault of his own. It directed PGI Chandigarh to admit him to the next (July 2021) session using his already-cleared INICET-2020 result, and directed the Delhi government to reconsider his study leave application favourably in light of the improved situation. The Court clarified this order would not be treated as a precedent.
Even where a government policy is lawful and not struck down, courts can still use equitable powers to shield an individual, especially a frontline COVID-19 worker, from unfair collateral loss, without undoing the policy itself.
