Landmark Judgments

397 Supreme Court judgments from 1950 to 2026, chosen from the cases our judiciary, CLAT and AIBE questions cite most. Each digest gives the facts, the questions before the Court, what it held and passages in the Court's own words, with a link to the official judgment.

Judgments: 397
Constitution Benches: 137
Subjects: 24

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Subject

Decided in

BenchAct interpretedMy listOverruled or explained by a later case here

15 of 397 judgments

National Insurance Co. Ltd. v. Pranay Sethi2017Law of Torts5-judge bench
In motor accident death claims, future prospects must be added to income for deceased persons below 60, including the self-employed and those on fixed salary, at fixed…
Sarla Verma v. Delhi Transport Corporation2009Law of Torts2 judges
The Court standardised the computation of compensation in motor accident death claims under Section 166 of the Motor Vehicles Act: additions for future prospects,…
National Insurance Co. Ltd. v. Swaran Singh2004Law of Torts3 judges
An insurer cannot escape liability to third parties merely because the driver's licence was absent, fake or invalid. It must prove a breach by the insured owner; even…
Municipal Corporation of Greater Bombay v. Laxman Iyer2003Law of Torts2 judges
The Court held that a victim's breach of a traffic regulation does not by itself absolve the bus owner, apportioned 25% contributory negligence to the deceased cyclist,…
M.S. Grewal v. Deep Chand Sood2001Law of Torts2 judges
A school is vicariously liable for the negligence of teachers escorting pupils on a picnic where fourteen children drowned; the High Court's writ award of Rs. 5 lakhs…
Spring Meadows Hospital v. Harjol Ahluwalia1998Law of Torts2 judges
Parents who hire a hospital's services for their child and the child as beneficiary are both consumers under Section 2(1)(d)(ii) of the Consumer Protection Act, 1986,…
Indian Medical Association v. V.P. Shantha1995Law of Torts3 judges
Medical services rendered for payment by doctors and hospitals, including free treatment where others pay, are 'service' under Section 2(1)(o) of the Consumer Protection…
N. Nagendra Rao and Co. v. State of Andhra Pradesh1994Law of Torts2 judges
The State is vicariously liable for the negligence of its officers in discharging statutory duties under the Essential Commodities Act, and cannot plead sovereign…
Lucknow Development Authority v. M.K. Gupta1993Law of Torts2 judges
Statutory development authorities that allot plots or build houses render 'service' under the Consumer Protection Act, 1986, even before the 1993 amendment, and consumer…
Union Carbide Corporation v. Union of India1991Law of Torts5-judge benchLater case in library
On review, the Court upheld the US $470 million Bhopal settlement and its Article 142 power to record it, but revived the quashed criminal proceedings and declared the…
M.C. Mehta v. Union of India1986Law of Torts5-judge bench
An enterprise engaged in a hazardous or inherently dangerous activity is absolutely liable for harm caused by an accident in it, without the Rylands v. Fletcher…
Pushpabai Purshottam Udeshi v. Ranjit Ginning and Pressing Co. (P) Ltd.1977Law of Torts2 judges
Applying res ipsa loquitur, the Court found the company's manager negligent and held the company vicariously liable for a passenger's death because he was driving in the…
Municipal Corporation of Delhi v. Subhagwanti1966Law of Torts2 judges
The Court held the Municipal Corporation liable in negligence for deaths caused by the collapse of its 80-year-old Clock Tower in Chandni Chowk, applying res ipsa…
Kasturilal Ralia Ram Jain v. State of Uttar Pradesh1964Law of Torts5-judge benchLater case in library
Although police officers negligently lost gold seized from the appellant's partner, the State was not liable in damages because the powers to arrest, search and seize…
State of Rajasthan v. Vidyawati1962Law of Torts5-judge bench
The State of Rajasthan was held vicariously liable for the death caused by the rash and negligent driving of a Government jeep by its employee, since the act was…

How these pages are written

Every digest is written from the judgment itself, taken from the Supreme Court's own website (sci.gov.in), and links to that file.
Quoted passages are copied from the official text and were checked against it word for word; each gives the page of the PDF.
Where the bench split, the holdings given are the majority's. Where a later judgment in this library overrules or explains a case, that case's page says so, quoting the later Court's words.
A digest is a study aid. Read the judgment before citing it.

Test yourself

170 practice questions on landmark judgments, with explanations.

All 397 judgments, A to Z