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 (plaintiff) owned a property that he had put into a Development Agreement-cum-General Power of Attorney with the appellant company in 2008, allowing the appellant to develop it. A dispute arose and the respondent cancelled the agreement, then sued for a court decree formally cancelling the agreement and for possession of the property. The appellant asked the trial court to send the dispute to arbitration under the agreement's arbitration clause, and the trial court agreed and rejected the plaint, but the High Court reversed this, holding that a suit for cancellation under Section 31 of the Specific Relief Act operates "in rem" (affecting the whole world) and so cannot be arbitrated.
The Supreme Court held that the High Court was wrong. Relying on its earlier three-judge decision in Deccan Paper Mills v. Regency Mahavir Properties, the Court reiterated that a suit for cancellation of an instrument under Section 31 of the Specific Relief Act is not an action "in rem" and can be referred to arbitration. Since the dispute over whether the Development Agreement was validly cancelled arose directly out of that agreement, the arbitration clause squarely applied. The Court set aside the High Court's order and restored the trial court's order sending the parties to arbitration.
A dispute over cancelling a contract (even one involving property) is generally a private dispute between the contracting parties, not a matter affecting the whole world, so if the contract has an arbitration clause, that clause can still be enforced instead of going straight to civil court.
