Indian criminal jurisprudence has been shaped by decisions that expanded the rights of the accused, regulated the power of arrest, humanised prisons and defined the limits of punishment. Here are 21 landmark judgments, in brief.

Liberty, Arrest and the Rights of the Accused

1. A.K. Gopalan v. State of Madras (1950): An early, narrow reading of Article 21 on preventive detention — later overruled in spirit by Maneka Gandhi.
2. Joginder Kumar v. State of U.P. (1994): Arrest cannot be routine; police must justify the necessity of every arrest.
3. D.K. Basu v. State of West Bengal (1997): Laid down binding guidelines against custodial torture — arrest memos, medical examination and information to relatives.
4. Arnesh Kumar v. State of Bihar (2014): For offences punishable up to seven years, police must follow Section 41A and record reasons before arrest, curbing automatic arrests (notably in dowry cases).

Self-Incrimination and Scientific Evidence

5. State of Bombay v. Kathi Kalu Oghad (1961): Clarified that giving fingerprints or specimen handwriting is not “being a witness against oneself” under Article 20(3).
6. Nandini Satpathy v. P.L. Dani (1978): Extended the right against self-incrimination to the stage of police interrogation.
7. Selvi v. State of Karnataka (2010): Narco-analysis, polygraph and brain-mapping without consent violate Article 20(3) and personal liberty.

Custody, Prisons and Speedy Trial

8. Hussainara Khatoon v. State of Bihar (1979): Recognised the right to a speedy trial and free legal aid, highlighting the plight of undertrial prisoners.
9. Sunil Batra v. Delhi Administration (1980): Prisoners retain fundamental rights; solitary confinement and bar fetters were restricted.
10. Sheela Barse v. State of Maharashtra (1983): Laid down safeguards for women in police custody.

Death Penalty and Sentencing

11. Bachan Singh v. State of Punjab (1980): Upheld the death penalty but confined it to the rarest of rare cases.
12. Machhi Singh v. State of Punjab (1983): Elaborated the criteria for identifying rarest-of-rare cases.
13. Mithu v. State of Punjab (1983): Struck down the mandatory death sentence as unconstitutional.

Fair Trial, FIR and Investigation

14. Zahira Habibullah Sheikh v. State of Gujarat (Best Bakery, 2004): Affirmed the right to a fair trial and ordered retrial, strengthening witness protection.
15. Prakash Singh v. Union of India (2006): Directed sweeping police reforms to insulate investigation from political influence.
16. Lalita Kumari v. Government of U.P. (2014): Registration of an FIR is mandatory when information discloses a cognizable offence.

Landmark Offence and Free-Speech Cases

17. K.M. Nanavati v. State of Maharashtra (1962): The famous case that effectively ended jury trials in India and examined grave and sudden provocation.
18. Mohd. Ahmed Khan v. Shah Bano Begum (1985): Held that a divorced Muslim woman is entitled to maintenance under Section 125 CrPC.
19. Vishaka v. State of Rajasthan (1997): Framed binding guidelines against sexual harassment at the workplace in the absence of legislation.
20. Shreya Singhal v. Union of India (2015): Struck down Section 66A of the IT Act as an unconstitutional restriction on free speech.
21. Mukesh v. State (NCT of Delhi) (2017): The Nirbhaya case, confirming death sentences and shaping the modern discourse on sexual offences.

Takeaway

Together, these judgments transformed Indian criminal practice from a purely punitive system into one that balances the power of the State with the dignity and liberty of the individual. They remain essential reading for every criminal-law practitioner.