SC Acquits Man Accused of Murder, Says Conviction Can’t Be Based on Suspicion
The Supreme Court has acquitted a man accused of murder, emphasizing that convictions cannot be based solely on suspicion but require proof beyond a reasonable doubt. The bench of Justices B.R. Gavai and Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha ruled that an alleged extrajudicial confession alone is insufficient for a conviction.
The appellant was initially convicted under Sections 302 (murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) by the Trial Court. After an unsuccessful appeal to the Punjab and Haryana High Court at Chandigarh, the appellant moved to the Supreme Court.
The appellant’s counsel argued that without the prosecution proving the identity of the deceased’s body, the conviction could not stand. The Supreme Court agreed, stating that the prosecution failed to establish a conclusive chain of events to prove the accused’s guilt.
The bench noted, “Suspicion, however strong, cannot replace proof beyond a reasonable doubt. An accused cannot be convicted based on suspicion, no matter how compelling. An accused is presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Given these observations, the Supreme Court allowed the appeal and set aside the impugned order from the Punjab and Haryana High Court, thereby acquitting the appellant.
Case Title: Ram Niwas v. State Of Haryana
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