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, a practising advocate with 70% visual disability, applied for the post of Civil Judge (Junior Division) in Tamil Nadu under the "partially blind" disability category. The recruitment notification, issued after consultation between the State Government, the Madras High Court, and the Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission, restricted eligibility under this category to candidates with 40%-50% disability only. The appellant was excluded from the selection process on this basis and challenged the restriction, but the Madras High Court dismissed his writ petition.
The Supreme Court held that the appellant could not challenge the 40%-50% eligibility condition because he had never actually challenged the recruitment notification itself in his writ petition, only a later shortlist: a procedural bar sufficient on its own to dismiss the case. On the merits, the Court also held that fixing disability eligibility at 40%-50% for a judicial post was a valid and reasonable classification, given that judges must read documents, observe witnesses, and write judgments, and that the State had arrived at this threshold after proper consultation with the High Court, which has constitutional responsibility over subordinate judiciary appointments. The appeal was dismissed.
Reservation and equal-opportunity laws for persons with disabilities do not mean every disabled candidate automatically qualifies for every reserved post: government and courts can reasonably calibrate eligibility (such as a disability percentage band) to the genuine functional demands of a specific job.
