Supreme Court of India Judgements

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Category: Evidence Act

Evidence Act

Evidence Act, 1872 — Eyewitness testimony vs. Medical evidence — In case of conflict, eyewitness testimony, especially of an injured witness who is found to be reliable and has withstood cross — examination, is generally superior to expert medical opinion formed by an expert witness — Lack of independent witnesses does not automatically compromise the prosecution case, especially when societal realities suggest potential fear or hesitation

Apr 28, 2026 sclaw

2026 INSC 403 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH ADALAT YADAV ETC. Vs. THE STATE OF BIHAR ( Before : Sanjay Karol and Nongmeikapam Kotiswar Singh, JJ. ) Criminal Appeal…

Evidence Act

Evidence Act, 1872 — Section 112 — Presumption of legitimacy — Birth during marriage being conclusive proof of legitimacy — While Section 112 raises a conclusive presumption, it is rebuttable — Modern scientific advancements like DNA testing, where conclusive and undisputed, can override this presumption, especially when the child’s legitimacy is not the sole issue and the test is conducted with consent.

Apr 25, 2026 sclaw

2026 INSC 399 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH NIKHAT PARVEEN @ KHUSBOO KHATOON Vs. RAFIQUE@SHILLU ( Before : Sanjay Karol and Nongmeikapam Kotiswar Singh, JJ. ) Criminal Appeal No…

Evidence Act

Evidence Act, 1872 — Section 8 — Conduct of accused leading to discovery of facts — Even if statements leading to discovery are not admissible under Section 27 due to lack of custody, they can be admitted under Section 8 as conduct, serving as a link in the chain of evidence, but cannot alone result in conviction.

Feb 22, 2026 sclaw

2026 INSC 162 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH ROHIT JANGDE Vs. THE STATE OF CHHATTISGARH ( Before : Sanjay Kumar and K. Vinod Chandran, JJ. ) Criminal Appeal No.689…

Evidence Act

Evidence Act, 1872 — Section 118 — Competency of child witness — Effect of delay and tutoring — Although a minor child is competent to testify, the reliability and evidentiary value of testimony given many years after the event, especially when the child has been residing with the complainant’s family (maternal grandparents), is significantly affected by the high possibility of memory distortion and tutoring. (Paras 5, 7, 10.2)

Jan 4, 2026 sclaw

2025 INSC 1475 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH MAYANKKUMAR NATWARLAL KANKANA PATEL AND ANOTHER Vs. STATE OF GUJARAT AND ANOTHER ( Before : Vikram Nath and Augustine George Masih,…

Evidence Act I P C

Criminal Law — Conviction — Circumstantial Evidence — Last Seen Together Theory — Must establish acquaintance between accused and deceased for theory to apply as a circumstance linking chain; mere fact of accused and deceased being in the same vicinity shortly before the crime, without proven acquaintance, is insufficient to propound the ‘last seen together theory’ as a conclusive link, though presence in same vicinity remains a relevant initial fact. (Para 6)

Dec 18, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1449 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH SHAIK SHABUDDIN Vs. STATE OF TELANGANA ( Before : Ahsanuddin Amanullah and K. Vinod Chandran, JJ. ) Criminal Appeal No….of 2025…

Evidence Act

Evidence — Video Conference Deposition — Procedure for Confronting Witness — The Supreme Court clarified and directed that in cases where a witness’s statement is recorded via video conferencing and a previous written statement is to be used for confrontation, a copy of the statement must be transmitted electronically to the witness, and the procedure under Sections 147 and 148 of the Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam (or corresponding sections of the Evidence Act) must be followed to ensure fairness and integrity of the trial. Such directions are issued to avoid procedural irregularities and uphold the principles of fair trial, effective cross-examination, and proper appreciation of evidence.

Nov 23, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1322 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH RAJ KUMAR @ BHEEMA Vs. STATE OF NCT OF DELHI ( Before : Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, JJ. ) Criminal…

Evidence Act

Evidence Act, 1872 — Section 50 — Opinion as to relationship, when relevant — Opinion expressed by conduct of person with special knowledge on relationship is relevant — Essentials are court’s opinion, expression through conduct, and person having special knowledge — Conduct alone is not proof but an intermediate step to infer opinion — Opinion must be proved by direct evidence — Court needs to weigh evidence to form its own conclusion; Trial Court erred in treating opinion of witnesses as fact rather than evidence to be weighed and failed to independently assess credibility.

Oct 12, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1187 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH DHARMRAO SHARANAPPA SHABADI AND OTHERS Vs. SYEDA ARIFA PARVEEN ( Before : Ahsanuddin Amanullah and S.V.N. Bhatti, JJ. ) Civil Appeal…

Evidence Act Partition

Family Law — Partition Suit — Evidence — Testimony of a credible witness with special means of knowledge, coupled with presumption of marriage from prolonged cohabitation and absence of rebuttal by the opposing party, is sufficient to establish a valid marital relationship and grant a decree for partition.- Evidence Act, 1872 — Section 50 — Opinion on relationship, when relevant — Testimony of a witness with special means of knowledge of the relationship, including opinion expressed by conduct, is relevant — Witness resided in the same village, had long-standing familiarity, and spoke from personal observation, thus satisfying the requirement of special means of knowledge.

Sep 2, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1038 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH CHOWDAMMA (D) BY LR AND ANOTHER Vs. VENKATAPPA (D) BY LRS AND ANOTHER ( Before : Sanjay Karol and Prashant Kumar…

Evidence Act

Evidence Act, 1872 — Appreciation of Evidence — Testimony of victim’s family witnesses admitted no dowry demand until examination-in-chief in court — Neighbour’s testimony stating no dowry demand, although brushed aside by lower courts, is relevant and gains credibility when other evidence is lacking — Reason for discarding neighbour’s testimony as speculative was erroneous, as information about dowry harassment can spread widely.

Aug 31, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1051 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH SMT. BHAGWATI DEVI Vs. STATE OF UTTARAKHAND ( Before : Aravind Kumar and N.V. Anjaria, JJ. ) Criminal Appeal No. 2616…

Evidence Act Juvenile Justice

Evidence Act, 1872 — Section 35 — Relevancy of entries in public records — Entries made by public servants in discharge of official duty or by other persons in performance of a duty enjoined by law are relevant facts. — Family Register maintained under the U.P. Panchayat Raj Act, 1947, and Voters’ List are considered public records and public documents. — School records from a private, though government-recognized, school are not public documents, and the headmaster is not a public servant for the purposes of Section 35.

Aug 5, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 918 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH SURESH Vs. STATE OF UTTAR PRADESH AND ANOTHER ( Before : Pankaj Mithal and Ahsanuddin Amanullah, JJ. ) Criminal Appeal No.…

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I P C

Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) — Section 498A — Cruelty by husband or relatives of husband — For the conviction under Section 498A, the prosecution must prove beyond reasonable doubt that the accused caused mental or physical cruelty to the woman. In this case, the evidence presented by the prosecution regarding dowry demands and cruelty was found to be contradictory and uncorroborated by independent witnesses. Therefore, the conviction of the appellant under Section 498A IPC was set aside.

May 1, 2026 sclaw
C P C

Civil Procedure Code, 1908 (CPC) — Section 89 — Compromise Decree — Interpretation of — Memorandum of Settlement (MOS) forming basis of decree — Clause (xiii) specifying conditional obligations for exchange of immovable properties or payment of guideline value upon failure to transfer — Held, obligation to pay monetary compensation triggered by failure to transfer agreed ‘B Schedule’ land, not discretionary option.

May 1, 2026 sclaw
Education

Right to Education Act, 2009 — Section 12 — Uttar Pradesh Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Rules, 2011 — Rule 8 — Neighbourhood School Obligation — A neighbourhood school has a constitutional and statutory duty to admit students forwarded by the State Government without delay, as mandated by Article 21A of the Constitution and relevant provisions of the RTE Act and UP RTE Rules — The school cannot question the eligibility of a student once the government has completed the admission process and forwarded the list.

Apr 30, 2026 sclaw
I B C

Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016 — Section 5(8) — Financial Debt — Corporate Guarantees — A liability arising from corporate guarantee for money borrowed against interest qualifies as financial debt — The execution of corporate guarantees, even if challenged on grounds of timing or non-disclosure, are considered valid and enforceable if their execution is admitted or demonstrably proven, making the appellants entitled to recognition as financial creditors.

Apr 30, 2026 sclaw