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 builder who had taken a loan from a bank for a housing project defaulted, and the bank initiated SARFAESI recovery proceedings, eventually being permitted by the Debt Recovery Tribunal (DRT) to sell certain flats to recover its dues. Without permission from the bank or the DRT, the borrower separately entered into a private sale agreement for one flat (No. 6401) with another buyer (respondent no. 1); the DRT later declared this private transaction void. The bank then auctioned the flat and the appellant was declared the successful bidder, but after the auction was already complete, respondent no. 1 filed a writ petition (without disclosing the auction had happened) and got the Andhra Pradesh/Telangana High Court to stay and ultimately set aside the auction in his favour.
The Supreme Court held that the private sale agreement in favour of respondent no. 1 had already been declared void by the DRT since it was made without the bank's or Tribunal's consent while recovery proceedings were pending, so respondent no. 1 could not claim any right over the flat. It also held that respondent no. 1 acted in bad faith by suppressing from the High Court the fact that the e-auction had already concluded, and that he should have pursued his remedy (if any) under Section 17 of the SARFAESI Act rather than a writ petition. The Court set aside the High Court's judgment, confirmed the sale in favour of the auction-purchaser appellant on payment of the balance consideration with 9% interest, directed refund of respondent no. 1's deposited amount with interest, and gave his heirs three months to vacate the flat.
A private sale of mortgaged property made behind the back of the bank and recovery tribunal during pending SARFAESI proceedings is void and confers no rights on the buyer: a genuine, transparent bank auction purchaser's title will prevail, and courts look unfavourably on litigants who conceal material facts (like a completed auction) to obtain interim relief.
