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.
Residents living near a toll plaza built at the 194 km mark on the Patna-Bakhtiyarpur section of National Highway 30 challenged its location, arguing it violated Rule 8 of the National Highways Fee Rules, 2008 because it was placed within a municipal stretch where local residents would have to repeatedly pass through and pay toll for short local trips. A single judge of the Patna High Court agreed and directed the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to shift the plaza, and a Division Bench upheld that order. NHAI appealed to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court allowed NHAI's appeal and set aside the High Court's direction to shift the toll plaza. It held that under the second proviso to Rule 8, the "Executing Authority" has discretion to locate a toll plaza where the road stretch (over 50 km here) does not permit strict adherence to the usual distance norms, and that this decision, while it must be properly recorded, does not require the authority to give detailed reasons to the public, nor is it arbitrary merely because it burdens some local residents. The Court did direct NHAI to keep proper records justifying such location decisions going forward, to remove any unauthorised barricades restricting free movement on service roads, and to ensure local residents actually receive the toll discounts/concessions they are entitled to under Rule 9.
Courts will generally not second-guess a technical, discretionary decision by a specialised authority (like where to place a toll plaza) unless it is shown to be irrational or arbitrary, but authorities exercising such discretion must still keep documented reasons and ensure citizens actually get the concessions the rules promise them.
