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 Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) challenged Section 40(a)(iib) of the Income Tax Act, 1961 before the Madras High Court, arguing the provision, which disallows certain VAT-related deductions for specific state undertakings, was discriminatory and violated Article 14 of the Constitution. The High Court declined to decide the constitutional challenge on its merits, reasoning that the matter was still pending before the Income Tax assessing officer and could be raised later, and dismissed the writ petition on that technical ground alone.
The Supreme Court held that only a High Court, exercising its writ jurisdiction under Article 226, can decide whether a tax provision is constitutionally valid, and once a show-cause notice had been issued invoking that provision against TASMAC, a genuine cause of action had already arisen for TASMAC to challenge its validity, regardless of whether the tax assessment itself was still pending. The High Court was wrong to sidestep the constitutional question. The Supreme Court therefore set aside the High Court's order and sent the matter back to the High Court, directing it to actually decide the validity of Section 40(a)(iib) on its merits, while making clear it was expressing no opinion of its own on whether the provision is actually valid.
A High Court cannot avoid deciding a genuine constitutional challenge to a law simply because related proceedings are still pending elsewhere, once a person is actually affected by a provision (such as by a show-cause notice), they are entitled to have its validity examined without having to wait.
