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.
A hydro-power company defaulted on a bank loan, and after its account was declared a non-performing asset, Punjab National Bank issued recovery notices and auctioned the mortgaged project. The company offered a one-time settlement of Rs.140 crores and, to show good faith, deposited Rs.40 crores with the High Court Registry while its writ petition was pending. After the Supreme Court later held the writ petition itself was not maintainable, a dispute arose over whether the company could get the Rs.40 crores back or whether the bank could appropriate it towards the outstanding dues. The High Court had ordered the money transferred to the Debt Recovery Tribunal to be held in interest-bearing deposit pending the outcome of the bank's separate recovery suit.
The Supreme Court held that the Rs.40 crore deposit was made only to demonstrate the company's bona fides in support of its settlement offer, not as payment towards the debt itself, and was expressly treated as a deposit with the High Court Registry rather than with the bank. Relying on its earlier decision in Axis Bank vs. SBS Organics (P) Ltd., the Court reasoned that such a deposit is neither a "secured asset" nor a "secured debt" that the bank could claim, and that the bank had no general lien over money that was never in the bank's custody. Accordingly, the Court set aside the High Court's order, allowed the company's application for refund, and directed that the deposited amount be returned to the company within two weeks along with any accrued interest.
Money deposited in court merely to show good faith during settlement talks, and not as actual repayment of a debt, belongs to the depositor and cannot be treated as the creditor's security; a bank or other creditor cannot claim a lien over funds it never actually held in its own custody.
