Finality of criminal appellate judgments and disposal of interlocutory applications

The final disposal of criminal appeals by the apex court brings a conclusive end to decades of litigation, settling the legal rights and penal status of the accused once and for all. When substantive convictions are upheld under specific statutory provisions like Section 304 Part II with modified sentences, all subordinate legal questions are put to rest. Concurrently, the formal dismissal of the main criminal appeal renders all pending interlocutory applications—such as requests for interim bail or stay—entirely infructuous. Courts routinely issue standard concluding orders clarifying that all miscellaneous applications survive no longer once the primary challenge reaches its logical conclusion. This procedural closure ensures that judicial records remain clean and free from lingering, unresolved interlocutory motions. The finality achieved through a reasoned judgment provides legal certainty to both the state machinery and the surviving family members of the deceased. It reinforces the authority of appellate pronouncements and marks the successful completion of the judicial review process. Consequently, the delivery of a comprehensive final verdict resolves every facet of the criminal dispute, leaving no room for collateral re-litigation. (Shrikrishna v. The State of Madhya Pradesh | 2026 INSC 45)