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.
Shaf Broadcast Pvt. Ltd. had a contract with Doordarshan containing an arbitration clause for a three-member tribunal. When a dispute arose and Shaf invoked arbitration, nominating its own arbitrator, Doordarshan failed to nominate one in return. Shaf therefore approached the Supreme Court under Section 11 of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996, asking the Court to appoint an arbitrator on Doordarshan's behalf.
With the consent of counsel for all parties, the Court departed from the contract's three-member tribunal structure and appointed a single Sole Arbitrator (a former Supreme Court judge) to adjudicate the entire dispute, subject to the arbitrator's declarations of independence and impartiality under Section 12. The Court fixed New Delhi as the seat of arbitration and directed the arbitrator to complete proceedings within the statutory 12-month time limit under Section 29A, disposing of the petition.
When a counterparty fails to nominate its arbitrator as required by a contract, a party can approach the Supreme Court (for international commercial arbitration) or the relevant High Court under Section 11 to get an arbitrator appointed; parties can also mutually agree to simplify a multi-member tribunal into a sole arbitrator even if the original contract specified otherwise.
