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 respondent took a Mediclaim ("Health Plus") policy from LIC without undergoing a medical examination, declaring in the proposal form that he had no cardiovascular disease. He later underwent heart valve replacement surgery, and his hospital records showed a documented "past history" of rheumatic heart disease since childhood. LIC repudiated his claim for reimbursement on the ground that this was a pre-existing condition that he had failed to disclose, but the District Forum, State Commission, and National Commission all ruled in the policyholder's favour, prompting LIC's appeal.
The Supreme Court held that the consumer fora had erred by ignoring clear, uncontroverted hospital records showing the respondent had a known history of rheumatic heart disease since childhood, which he was obligated to disclose under the insurance proposal's terms given the "utmost good faith" nature of insurance contracts. Since the policy was issued in the "Non-Medical" category without any medical check specifically because the proposer's own declarations were relied upon, concealment of this material health history amounted to a valid ground for repudiation under the policy's own exclusion and fraud clauses. The Court allowed LIC's appeal, set aside the National Commission's order, and dismissed the policyholder's complaint.
When applying for insurance without a medical check-up, an applicant must truthfully disclose known past health conditions, however minor they may seem, concealing such history can be a valid ground for the insurer to deny a later claim, since insurance contracts are built on the insured's full and honest disclosure.
