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.
A candidate applied for the post of Constable in the Bihar Police in response to a 2004 advertisement that offered extra marks for holding an NCC 'B' certificate, but he did not submit a copy of that certificate along with his original application. He scored only 12 marks (missing the 5 bonus marks) and was not selected, even though a later select list in 2007 (after he submitted the certificate following his physical test) showed him with 17 marks. After years of litigation, the Patna High Court's Division Bench eventually condoned a 3-year delay and ordered the State to appoint him based on the 17-mark list. The State of Bihar appealed to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court held that eligibility and bonus-mark criteria must be assessed strictly as per the documents submitted along with the original application by the prescribed cut-off date, not documents submitted years later. It found that the candidate's claim, made for the first time in the second round of litigation, that he had originally submitted the NCC certificate was an afterthought, contradicted by his own earlier writ petition which contained no such plea. Since he had only produced the certificate after the physical test and years after the application deadline, he was not entitled to the 5 bonus marks, and the High Court's Division Bench had erred in directing his appointment based on the later select list. The Supreme Court allowed the State's appeal and restored the order of the Single Judge dismissing the candidate's writ petition.
In competitive recruitment, only the documents and qualifications actually submitted with the original application by the cut-off date count: a candidate cannot improve their claim years later, and courts will scrutinise whether a late-raised claim is consistent with what was pleaded earlier in the same litigation.
