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 appellants had booked a residential flat with the developer, Adarsh Developers, for about Rs 41 lakhs, with 25% required as the initial booking amount. Through email exchanges, the parties appeared to agree to reduce the booking amount to 15%, which the appellants then paid. The developer later cancelled the allotment, claiming the original 25% had never been paid, and resold the flat to a third party years later. The appellants' consumer complaint was rejected by both the State and National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commissions, prompting this appeal to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court examined the email correspondence closely and found that the developer itself had repeatedly acknowledged, in writing, that the booking amount had been reduced to 15%, meaning the appellants had actually paid more than required, so the cancellation was without basis. The Court also held that the developer had a statutory duty under Section 4 of the Karnataka Ownership Flats Act, 1972 to execute a registered sale agreement before accepting advance payments, and the appellants' persistent requests for such an agreement (to enable their bank loan) was not a breach on their part. A later sale of the same flat to a third party, made after the dispute was already pending, could not override the appellants' earlier claim. The Court allowed the appeal, directing the appellants to pay the balance consideration with 9% interest and ordering the developer to execute and register the sale agreement and hand over possession.
In real estate transactions, written communications (including emails) that modify payment terms can be legally binding, and a developer cannot unilaterally cancel a booking or resell a flat to someone else while ignoring its own prior written acknowledgments and statutory obligations to the original buyer.
