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.
Unregulated and often illegal "rat-hole" coal mining in the tribal hill districts of Meghalaya had caused loss of life and serious environmental damage. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) had passed a series of orders banning unscientific mining, regulating transportation of already-extracted coal, and directing the State to deposit large sums (including Rs. 100 crores) for environmental restoration. The State of Meghalaya, several coal-traders' associations, a district autonomous council and an individual miner filed multiple appeals before the Supreme Court challenging different aspects of these NGT orders.
The Supreme Court largely upheld the NGT's core direction to stop illegal and unscientific coal mining, holding that natural resources belong to all generations and must be used sustainably, not exploited unchecked by the present generation. It dismissed the main batch of appeals challenging the mining ban (subject to some clarifications of law), but allowed one appeal in part, setting aside the NGT's direction that all coal extracted after a cut-off date automatically vested in the State, and partly allowed the State's appeal on the Rs. 100 crore deposit, permitting that amount to be transferred to the Central Pollution Control Board for environmental restoration use. The Court also laid down a detailed mechanism for weighment, transportation and auction of previously-extracted coal through Coal India Ltd., with proceeds to be shared between the State (royalty, taxes, MERP Fund) and coal owners after deducting costs.
Even when a legitimate economic activity (coal mining) is involved, courts will enforce environmental regulation strictly where unscientific extraction endangers lives and ecology, but enforcement orders (like confiscation of already-extracted material) must still be proportionate and legally sound, which is why parts of the NGT's order were modified on appeal.
