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-assessee's income-tax appeals before the Karnataka High Court (along with cross-appeals by the Revenue) were disposed of together by a common order, with the assessee's appeals being dismissed and the Revenue's being allowed. The assessee challenged this before the Supreme Court, pointing out that the High Court had never formally framed any "substantial question of law" before hearing and deciding the appeals, as mandated by Section 260-A(3) of the Income Tax Act.
The Supreme Court found this case identical to a recent precedent it had itself decided (PR. Commissioner of Income Tax Central-2 vs. A.A. Estate Pvt. Ltd.), where it held that a High Court cannot properly decide a Section 260-A tax appeal merely by listing the questions the parties raised: it must actually admit the appeal and formally frame the substantial question(s) of law itself before hearing arguments. Since the Karnataka High Court skipped this mandatory step, the Supreme Court allowed the appeals, set aside the High Court's order, and remanded the matter for the High Court to hear the case afresh after properly framing the required questions of law. The Court deliberately expressed no view on the actual merits of the tax dispute.
In income-tax appeals to a High Court, following correct procedure, formally framing the substantial question(s) of law before hearing the case, is not a technicality; skipping it can get the entire decision set aside and sent back for a fresh hearing, regardless of who ultimately wins or loses on the underlying facts.
