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.
Gursewak Singh worked as a "Gramin Dak Sewak" (an Extra-Departmental Agent, a part-time rural postal worker) from 1991 until he voluntarily resigned in 2014. He then claimed gratuity under the Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972, and labour authorities ordered the Postal Department to pay him over Rs 1 lakh with interest; this was upheld by an appellate labour authority and then by both a single judge and a division bench of the Punjab & Haryana High Court. The Postal Department appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing Gramin Dak Sewaks are governed by their own separate 2011 Rules, not the general Gratuity Act.
The Supreme Court addressed two questions: first, whether a Gramin Dak Sewak qualifies as an "employee" under the Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972; and second, if not covered by that Act, whether they are still entitled to gratuity under the Department's own Gramin Dak Sewak (Conduct & Engagement) Rules, 2011 after resigning voluntarily. On the first issue, the Court held that Section 2(e) of the Gratuity Act excludes persons holding posts under the Central Government who are separately governed by other rules providing for gratuity, and since Gramin Dak Sewaks are covered by the 2011 Rules (which have their own gratuity provision), they are not "employees" under the general Act. On the second issue, the Court found that Rule 6(13) of the 2011 Rules expressly denies gratuity to an Extra-Departmental Agent who quits the job voluntarily, and since Gursewak Singh had resigned on his own, he was not entitled to gratuity under those Rules either. The Court set aside the High Court's orders in both connected appeals and allowed the Department's appeals.
Government employees or workers covered by a special service-specific scheme with its own gratuity provisions cannot additionally claim benefits under the general Payment of Gratuity Act, 1972, and even under such special schemes, voluntary resignation can specifically disqualify a worker from gratuity if the governing rules say so.
