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 respondents had agreed in 2011 to buy an apartment in Hyderabad from the developer (the appellant) for about Rs 1.55 crore, with possession promised by 28 March 2011 (plus a three-month grace period). Possession was delayed, partly because a Waqf Tribunal restraining order froze the project between March 2011 and May 2012, and although a sale deed was executed in February 2013 reciting that possession had been handed over, the actual keys were only handed over on 28 August 2014. The buyers filed a consumer complaint before the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) for possession, interest, and damages for the delay, and the NCDRC ordered the developer to pay Rs 5/sq ft for the first six months of delay and 18% annual interest for the period beyond that.
The Supreme Court held that the force majeure clause genuinely extended the possession deadline during the Waqf Tribunal injunction period, so the contractual compensation of Rs 5/sq ft rightly applied for six months after the injunction was vacated. However, since the contemporaneous record (the "Keys Hand Over Form") showed actual possession was only given on 28 August 2014, despite the sale deed's recital to the contrary, the developer remained liable for the further delay beyond the contractual six-month window. The Court found the NCDRC's 18% annual interest rate for this later period excessive, and substituted it with a lump-sum compensation of Rs 10 lakhs for the period from 9 February 2013 to 28 August 2014, partly allowing the appeal.
A recital in a sale deed that "possession has been handed over" is not conclusive if the actual physical facts (such as a signed keys-handover document) show otherwise: courts will look behind paper recitals to real-world delivery of possession when awarding delay compensation to homebuyers.
