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.
A company imported refrigeration equipment from France and the US using foreign exchange but left the goods uncleared in a bonded warehouse for years without completing import formalities (submitting the Bill of Entry). The Enforcement Directorate penalised both the company and its then-Managing Director, Suborno Bose, Rs. 10 lakh each for violating Section 10(6) of the Foreign Exchange Management Act, 1999. Bose argued he only became Managing Director in October 2001, after the original 2000 contravention, and should not be held personally liable for a default that occurred under previous management.
The Supreme Court held that a contravention under Section 10(6) of FEMA, failing to use or surrender foreign exchange for its declared purpose, is a continuing offence that persists until corrective steps are taken. Since the goods remained uncleared and the Bill of Entry unsubmitted even after Bose took charge, and he was demonstrably aware of the default (having himself sought extensions from authorities), he could not escape liability merely because the original import occurred before he took over. The Court also noted that the penalty appeal filed by the company itself had already been dismissed and had attained finality, which further foreclosed re-litigating the underlying contravention. The appeal was dismissed and the penalty upheld.
Directors or managers who take charge of a company after a regulatory violation has occurred are not automatically shielded from liability: if the violation is a "continuing" one and they become aware of it but fail to take corrective action, they can still be held personally responsible.
