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's Resolution Plan for Tecpro Systems Ltd. (the corporate debtor under insolvency resolution) was approved by the Committee of Creditors and the NCLT in 2019, after which the appellant deposited Rs. 5 crore but failed to fulfil its remaining obligations (including equity infusion) for over six months, leading creditors to vote for liquidation. Both the NCLT and NCLAT upheld liquidation. On appeal, the Supreme Court in October 2020 gave the appellant one final chance, staying liquidation on condition it deposit Rs. 50 crore by a set deadline (later extended to 25 February 2021), on pain of forfeiting the Rs. 20 crore already deposited.
Despite the extended deadline, the appellant failed to deposit the Rs. 50 crore, instead arguing that lenders would not finance it unless the company's status was first changed from "under liquidation" to "active": a change that could only follow the very payment it had failed to make. The Court held this circular argument unacceptable, noting that sufficient opportunities had already been given over several months and that the IBC's time-bound scheme would be defeated by indefinite delay. It dismissed the appeal, directed forfeiture of the Rs. 20 crore already deposited, and ordered that management of the company revert to the liquidator for liquidation to proceed.
While liquidation under the insolvency law is meant to be a last resort, a resolution applicant who is repeatedly given extra time and still fails to honour its financial commitments cannot keep the process open indefinitely: courts will enforce the deposit deadlines and forfeiture conditions they impose, rather than let a failed resolution linger.
