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.
Vodafone Idea Ltd. had filed income tax returns for Assessment Years 2014-15 through 2017-18 claiming large refunds running into thousands of crores of rupees. The tax department did not process these returns or release the refunds, citing pending scrutiny notices and provisions that allow refunds to be withheld once a detailed scrutiny notice has been issued. The company went to the Delhi High Court seeking a direction to process the returns and pay the refunds with interest, lost there on most points, and appealed to the Supreme Court.
The Supreme Court held that once a scrutiny notice under Section 143(2) of the Income Tax Act has validly been issued, the tax department is not obliged to process the return and pay a refund for assessment years up to 2016-17, and no separate notice to the taxpayer is required to communicate that processing has been deferred. For Assessment Year 2017-18, the Court examined the record and found that the department's order of 14.03.2019 withholding the refund had, this time, correctly followed the newer procedure under Section 241-A (recording reasons, taking senior approval, and acting within the time limit). On the merits, the Court ruled against Vodafone Idea on almost all its arguments, but directed that Rs. 733 crores of refund due for AY 2014-15 (where a final assessment order had confirmed the company was entitled to it) be paid within four weeks, subject to the department's right to adjust/set off any outstanding tax demand.
A taxpayer cannot force the tax department to release an income tax refund merely because a return was filed long ago: if a scrutiny notice has been properly issued, the law itself permits the refund to be withheld, and the taxpayer must wait for scrutiny to conclude except where a final order already confirms the refund is due.
