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.
In 1964, the predecessor of the appellants agreed to sell agricultural land to the predecessor of the respondent for Rs. 5,605, with possession handed over immediately but the sale deed to be registered later, subject to a pending High Court appeal. The agreement required the buyer to pay "customary rent" to the seller if the sale deed was delayed beyond a year. The buyer took possession but did not pay any rent for 13 years, yet later sued for specific performance of the sale agreement.
The central legal question was whether a buyer (vendee) who fails to perform his own promise under a contract can still claim the discretionary remedy of specific performance of that same contract. The Supreme Court held that specific performance is a discretionary and equitable relief, and under Section 20 of the Specific Relief Act, a court can refuse it where the circumstances make it inequitable to enforce, or where the plaintiff caused undue hardship through his own conduct. Since the buyer had enjoyed possession of the land for 13 years (and the dispute spanned 55 years) without paying the agreed rent, and had even denied liability to pay it, the Court found he had not acted equitably and had forfeited his right to specific performance. It allowed the appeal, set aside the lower courts' decrees, dismissed the suit for specific performance, and also denied the alternative claim for refund given the decades of free use of the land.
A party seeking the discretionary remedy of specific performance must also have faithfully performed their own obligations under the contract; courts can deny this relief, even years later, to a party whose own conduct has been inequitable.
