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.
Kewal Krishan and his elder brother Sudarshan Kumar jointly purchased certain properties in 1976. After giving Sudarshan a power of attorney in 1980, Kewal Krishan discovered that Sudarshan had used it to "sell" parts of the property to his own minor sons and wife for a nominal price, and Kewal Krishan sued to have the power of attorney and sale deeds declared void. Courts below gave conflicting findings on whether the brothers were joint owners, whether the sale deeds were genuine, and whether the challenge was filed too late.
The Supreme Court found that Sudarshan Kumar had never proved he was the sole owner or that he had paid for Kewal Krishan's share, so the finding that the two brothers were joint owners had become final. On the key question, the Court held that neither Sudarshan's wife nor his minor sons had any proven source of income, and no evidence was ever produced that they actually paid the stated sale consideration, so, under Section 54 of the Transfer of Property Act, the "sales" were void for lack of real payment of price. Because the sale deeds were void from the start (not merely voidable), the appellant did not need to separately sue for a declaration within a limitation period; a void document can be challenged whenever and wherever the issue arises. The Court therefore set aside the High Court's judgment and restored the lower appellate court's decree recognising the appellant's half share and right to joint possession.
A sale deed executed without any real, proven payment of price is void in law (not just unfair), and a person affected by such a sham sale can challenge it at any later stage without being blocked by a limitation-period technicality, because a void document creates no rights that need to be formally "cancelled" in time.
