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 Assam Public Service Commission (APSC) advertised 65 posts of Assistant Engineer (Civil) in December 2018, under selection rules then in force (the 2010 Rules), and conducted a written screening test in June 2019 under those rules, which had no negative marking. Before the interview stage, a new procedure (the 2019 Procedure) replaced the 2010 Rules, including a saving clause allowing pending selections to be completed under the old rules. Some candidates who had taken the screening test challenged that saving clause in the Gauhati High Court, which ruled that the new 2019 Procedure (with negative marking and different interview weightage) should apply even to this already-underway recruitment. The Commission appealed to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court held that settled law requires a recruitment to be governed by the rules in force on the date of the advertisement, and that changes made mid-selection cannot be applied retrospectively unless expressly intended. Since the screening test here had already been conducted without negative marking under the 2010 Rules, switching to the 2019 Procedure for the interview stage would unfairly reward candidates who got lucky guesses on the written test, creating an inconsistent, two-rulebook selection process. The Court also noted the 2019 Procedure itself contained a savings clause protecting pending selections. It therefore set aside the High Court's judgment and directed the APSC to complete the entire recruitment process for these 65 posts under the 2010 Rules.
Candidates have a right to be evaluated under the rules that existed when they applied for a job: a recruiting body generally cannot change the rules of the game partway through an ongoing selection process.
