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 company had a contract with the Punjab State Water Supply and Sewerage Board that contained an arbitration clause requiring any party invoking arbitration to first deposit 10% of its claimed amount, refundable only in proportion to what was ultimately awarded. The appellant challenged this clause as arbitrary and unconstitutional, but the Punjab and Haryana High Court twice dismissed its writ petitions, holding the tender condition was not unreasonable.
The Supreme Court held that while the clause was not discriminatory (since it applied equally to both parties), it was nonetheless arbitrary and violative of Article 14 because it deterred genuine claims, not just frivolous ones, by requiring a hefty upfront deposit regardless of merit, and because even a successful claimant who was awarded only a fraction of their claim would permanently forfeit a disproportionate part of the deposit. The Court reasoned that arbitration is meant to be a speedy, cost-effective alternative to litigation, and such a clog on invoking it defeats that purpose. It accordingly struck down the clause (while leaving the rest of the arbitration agreement intact) and allowed the appeal.
Contractual clauses that impose a steep financial penalty merely for invoking arbitration, rather than only for pursuing a genuinely frivolous claim, can be struck down as arbitrary, since they discourage access to a legitimate dispute-resolution process.
