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.
Centrotrade, a U.S. company, sold copper concentrate to Hindustan Copper Ltd. (HCL) under a contract with a two-step arbitration clause: first an arbitration in India, and if either side was unhappy with that result, a second arbitration in London. The Indian arbitration produced a "Nil Award," so Centrotrade pursued the London arbitration, which awarded it a substantial sum. HCL resisted enforcement of the London award in Indian courts for nearly two decades, and the dispute had already reached the Supreme Court once before, resulting in a split decision between two judges that needed to be resolved by a larger Bench.
The Supreme Court held that the two-tier arbitration clause was valid, and closely examined HCL's claim that it never got a fair chance to present its case in the London arbitration. Reviewing the actual correspondence, the Court found that the London arbitrator had in fact given HCL multiple extensions of time, and HCL's own prolonged refusal to participate, followed by late submissions, including after the 9/11 attacks in New York, which the arbitrator still considered, did not amount to any unfairness. The Court held that one of the two earlier Supreme Court judges hearing this dispute had made factual errors in criticizing the arbitrator. Centrotrade's appeal was allowed, HCL's appeal was dismissed, and the Court directed that the foreign (London) arbitration award must now be enforced in India.
An arbitrator who gives a party repeated, generous opportunities to present its case is not at fault if that party chooses not to use them in time; and Indian courts enforcing a foreign arbitration award will not reopen or second-guess the arbitrator's fair handling of procedure.
