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 appellant (plaintiff) sued for specific performance of a contract for sale of land against the respondents (defendants). Both the trial court (Additional District Judge, Harda) and the Madhya Pradesh High Court in first appeal held against him, finding he had failed to prove he was ready and willing to perform his part of the contract, and dismissed his claim for specific performance as well as for refund of earnest money.
The Supreme Court reiterated that specific performance is a discretionary, equitable remedy, and set out the key questions courts must examine: existence of a valid concluded contract, the plaintiff's readiness and willingness to perform, actual performance, equities between the parties, and entitlement to any alternative relief. Because both lower courts had concurrently found, on appreciation of evidence, that the plaintiff was neither ready nor willing to perform his obligations, the Supreme Court held this was a factual finding binding on it under Article 136, with no perversity or illegality shown. The appeal was dismissed.
To win a specific performance claim for a property sale contract, a buyer must affirmatively prove continuous "readiness and willingness" to perform their own obligations (such as paying the balance price): courts will not grant this discretionary remedy to a buyer who cannot establish this, and concurrent factual findings by two lower courts are very difficult to overturn on further appeal.
