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 took a fire and special-perils insurance policy from Tata AIG for a shop situated in a building's basement, even though the policy's exclusion clause excluded basements from coverage; the insurer had inspected and was aware the shop was in the basement, and it also insured a similarly situated adjoining shop. After a fire damaged the shop, the insurer repudiated the claim citing the basement exclusion clause. The State Consumer Commission ruled in the appellant's favour, but the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission overturned that, applying the exclusion clause despite finding the insurer had itself been deficient in service.
The Supreme Court held that an insurer cannot rely on an exclusion clause that it itself introduced into the contract when it knowingly entered into and executed that very contract with full knowledge of the excluded risk, inspected the premises, accepted premiums, and only invoked the clause after a claim arose: this amounts to unfair trade practice and a waiver of the clause. The Court extensively discussed the doctrines of adhesion contracts, uberrimae fidei (utmost good faith), and reading down exclusion clauses that conflict with the main purpose of an insurance contract. It set aside the National Commission's order (while declining the State Commission's separate award for harassment and mental agony) and allowed the appeal in part, also cautioning insurers generally about compliance with IRDA disclosure regulations.
An insurer cannot accept premiums and inspect a risk with full knowledge of an excluded feature, and then invoke that same exclusion clause to deny a claim after a loss occurs: such conduct is an unfair trade practice under consumer law.
