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.
In February 2012, two Italian marines aboard the Italian vessel "Enrica Lexie" allegedly fired at an Indian fishing boat off the Kerala coast, killing two fishermen. An FIR for murder and other offences was registered against them in Kerala, and their challenge to India's jurisdiction was dismissed by the Kerala High Court. The dispute eventually went to international arbitration under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which in 2020 delivered an award directing Italy to pay compensation and resume its own criminal investigation.
With Italy having deposited Rs. 10 crore in compensation (on top of amounts already paid) and all parties, the Union of India, the State of Kerala, the victims' heirs and the boat owner, agreeing to accept the arbitral award and close the Indian proceedings, the Supreme Court used its special "complete justice" power under Article 142 of the Constitution to quash the FIR and all related criminal proceedings in India, discharge the marines' bail bonds and release the bank guarantees furnished as sureties. It also directed how the compensation would be safely invested and disbursed to the deceased fishermen's families and the boat owner, with a Kerala High Court judge supervising disbursement.
The Supreme Court can invoke its Article 142 powers to bring a long-running, diplomatically sensitive criminal case to a close once an international dispute-resolution mechanism has resolved the underlying issue and all affected parties, including victims, have consented to the settlement.
