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 husband and wife, both US citizens settled in Connecticut, had two children. During a 2016 family visit to India, the wife refused to return to the US with the children. US courts granted the husband custody, and Delhi courts (Family Court and High Court) repeatedly held that Indian courts lacked jurisdiction since the family was "ordinarily resident" in the US, directing the wife to return the children. The wife challenged these orders, including a habeas corpus direction to produce and return the children, before the Supreme Court.
During arguments, the wife agreed to return to the US with the children, so the Supreme Court did not need to rule on the jurisdiction question. Instead, acting almost as a mediator, the Court recorded a detailed consent arrangement covering passport renewal for the children, a two-week return timeline, housing and monthly financial support (rounded to US $8,000/month) for the wife, visitation rights for the husband, division of the couple's jointly-run dental clinic assets, and withdrawal of the wife's pending Indian divorce petition. Both Special Leave Petitions were disposed of on these negotiated terms.
In international child-custody disputes, Indian courts generally favour resolving jurisdiction by the children's "ordinary residence," and the Supreme Court will readily convert a contested case into a structured, enforceable settlement once parties reach consensus, sparing children and parents a protracted jurisdictional battle.
