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Legal Case Shots

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.

Frequently asked questions

Is this suitable for use in legal research and court filings?+

Legal Case Shots is built to help you quickly identify and understand relevant precedent. For citation in pleadings or filings, always verify against the full judgment PDF and current citation format (e.g., 2026 INSC ___).

How is a "lesson learnt" different from the judgment's holding?+

The holding is what the court legally decided. The lesson learnt translates that into a practical takeaway: what a lawyer should factor into case strategy or client advice as a result of this precedent.

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Both. Each case shows a distilled summary (case type, key holding, and lesson learnt) and links to the full judgment as a PDF for when you need the complete text for research or citation.

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Yes. You can filter judgments by the judge or bench that decided the case, which is useful for tracking how a particular judge has reasoned on similar issues across multiple rulings.

What is Legal Case Shots?+

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.

Criminal LawSupreme Court of India

Sunil Kumar vs. The State of Uttar Pradesh & Anr.

Criminal Appeal · 2023 INSC 668Decided 3 Aug 2023
Criminal Appeal No. 2255 of 2023
Sanjiv Khanna · Bela M. Trivedi

Background

The appellant, an Assistant Engineer in the U.P. Power Corporation, had an altercation with a peon (respondent no. 2) at their office over an item to be handed to a customer. Both men filed FIRs against each other the same week in 2014, and a chargesheet was eventually filed against the appellant under Sections 323, 504 and 506 IPC. The Allahabad High Court refused to quash these proceedings, so the appellant approached the Supreme Court.

Decision Breakdown

The Supreme Court noted that the case had remained pending without trial since 2015 with no progress, and that respondent no. 2, though served, did not even appear to contest the appeal. Looking at the cross-complaints, the Court found the allegations against the appellant to be of a very trivial nature: the kind of everyday office spat that should have been resolved on the spot rather than dragged through years of criminal litigation. Holding that continuing the prosecution would amount to persecution and harassment of the appellant, the Court allowed the appeal and quashed the criminal proceedings pending before the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Fatehpur.

Lesson Learnt

Courts can and will step in to quash criminal cases arising from trivial workplace or personal disputes, especially where the case has stagnated for years without any real progress: criminal law is not meant to be used to prolong minor personal quarrels.

Official source (sci.gov.in)View Judgment (PDF)
Sunil Kumar vs. The State of Uttar Pradesh & Anr. – Legal Case Shots | LegalAware