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 appellant, after his civil suit for recovery of money was dismissed, wanted to file a first appeal against that decree but claimed he could not afford the court fees because his financial condition had worsened. He had earlier (years before, in a different suit) been refused permission to sue as an "indigent person" (someone legally excused from paying court fees due to poverty). The High Court rejected his fresh application to appeal without paying fees, reasoning that since he had been denied indigent status before, he could not claim it again at the appeal stage.
The Supreme Court held that the Civil Procedure Code's rules on suing as an indigent person (Order 33) and appealing as one (Order 44) operate somewhat independently - a person refused indigent status at the trial stage is not automatically barred from claiming the status afresh at the appellate stage, especially if his financial situation has since changed. The High Court was wrong to reject the application without holding the inquiry required by law into whether the appellant had become indigent since the date of the decree. The Court set aside the High Court's order and sent the matter back so a proper inquiry could be held into the appellant's financial status, directing it be completed within six months.
A person's financial position can change over time, so being refused "indigent" status (exemption from court fees) once does not permanently bar a fresh claim at a later stage of litigation - courts must hold a proper inquiry each time such a claim is made in good faith.
