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.
Advocate Prashant Bhushan had already been held guilty of criminal contempt of court by the Supreme Court in a judgment dated 14 August 2020 (2020 INSC 489), over two tweets criticising the judiciary and a sitting/former Chief Justice. This later order deals only with the question of what sentence to impose. At the sentencing hearing, his counsel argued for leniency, citing his 35 years of public-interest litigation work, the vagueness of the "scandalising the court" contempt offence, free-speech protections, and the defence of truth, and urged that mere imprisonment or disbarment be avoided.
The Court held that while fair criticism of the judiciary is permissible and judges must not be hypersensitive to criticism, Bhushan's conduct, including giving the press advance copies of his statements in a pending matter and refusing to express any regret despite repeated requests, including from the Attorney General, went beyond permissible limits and amounted to an attempt to pressure the Court through the media. It rejected arguments that the contempt law was impermissibly vague or that truth alone was an automatic defence in these circumstances. Despite finding the offence serious enough to justify imprisonment or debarment, the Court said it was exercising "magnanimity" and sentenced Bhushan to a nominal fine of Re. 1 (one rupee), to be paid by 15 September 2020, failing which he would undergo three months' simple imprisonment and be barred from practising in the Supreme Court for three years.
Free speech does not give lawyers or citizens unlimited licence to make public statements attacking the judiciary while a matter is still pending before the court, especially statements released to the press in advance, but courts can still choose to show restraint in sentencing even after finding someone guilty of contempt.
