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 respondent sued the appellant for possession and mesne profits of a property, relying on a Power of Attorney, an agreement to sell, an affidavit, and a will allegedly executed in his favour. The appellant, who was in possession, claimed ownership through an oral gift (Hiba) from his brother and also argued the suit documents were unregistered and legally unenforceable. The Trial Court decreed possession in the respondent's favour, and the Delhi High Court upheld this, not by accepting the documents as conferring ownership, but by reasoning the respondent could maintain the suit as an "Attorney" acting for the true owner, his brother.
The Supreme Court held that an unregistered Agreement to Sell or unregistered General Power of Attorney cannot confer title or an enforceable right to sue for possession over immovable property, reaffirming its earlier ruling in Suraj Lamps & Industries and rejecting the argument that this rule applied only prospectively. It further found that the plaint itself showed the respondent had sued in his own individual capacity claiming ownership, not as an Attorney suing on behalf of the actual owner, so the High Court's alternate reasoning could not rescue the decree. The appeal was allowed, the High Court's judgment was set aside, and the original suit for possession was dismissed, with no order as to costs.
Unregistered sale agreements, powers of attorney, or affidavits do not transfer ownership of immovable property in India: a genuine transfer of title requires a registered document, and buyers relying only on such informal paperwork cannot use them to claim ownership or evict a person in possession.
