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 Municipal Council of Raghogarh (Madhya Pradesh) demanded "external development charges" of Rs. 5 per square metre from National Fertilizer Ltd. and Gas Authority of India Ltd., two central public-sector undertakings that had been allotted forest land within municipal limits to build residential colonies for their own employees. The companies challenged the demand in civil suits, arguing the government notification authorizing such charges applied only to colonizers, housing societies, and individuals developing land for sale or rent, not to PSUs building staff housing. The trial court and, after one earlier round before the Supreme Court remitting the matter back for fresh consideration, the High Court both ruled in the companies' favour, prompting this further appeal by the Municipal Council.
The Supreme Court examined the relevant Madhya Pradesh government orders and found they were specifically meant for colonizers, housing-construction societies, or individuals developing colonies for sale or letting out, not for PSUs constructing housing exclusively for their own employees under government ownership. Since the respondents' dwelling units were not built for sale or rent, the external development charges did not apply to them. The Court agreed with the concurrent findings of the trial court and High Court and dismissed the Municipal Council's appeals as devoid of merit, without costs.
A government levy or development charge applies only to the specific category of persons or entities it is written for: a charge aimed at commercial colonizers cannot automatically be extended to a public-sector employer building housing solely for its own staff.
