The Supreme Court has acquitted a man convicted of killing his wife 22 years ago, ruling that suspicion alone is not enough to prove guilt. The decision overturned a previous life sentence handed down by lower courts based solely on unproven suspicions.
This ruling came after an appeal challenging a 2004 Jharkhand High Court judgment that confirmed the man’s conviction and life imprisonment, based on a trial court’s verdict.
A Division Bench of Justice B. R. Gavai and Justice Sanjay Karol noted that the conviction was based merely on the fact that the accused was the last person seen with his wife before she was found dead. The judges stated, “The circumstances linking the appellant to the crime are not proven at all, much beyond reasonable doubt.”
The court emphasized that even serious suspicion cannot replace concrete evidence in a criminal trial. “Suspicion, however grave, remains a doubtful element in the prosecution’s case. There is no sufficient evidence—ocular, circumstantial, or otherwise—to establish the guilt of the accused beyond reasonable doubt,” the Bench ruled.
The accused’s wife was found dead in a village well in August 1988, nearly 35 years ago. The prosecution claimed that the man murdered his wife and dumped her body in the well to hide the crime. It was also alleged that the accused falsely reported his wife as missing to mislead the investigation.
However, the Supreme Court found that none of the witnesses had provided any testimony linking the accused to the crime, nor was there any record of ill-treatment towards the deceased. Additionally, the court noted that the father of the deceased was informed about his daughter’s disappearance by the father of the accused, two days before the body was found.
The court criticized the lower courts for presuming the guilt of the accused based on weak evidence and for not properly appreciating the facts. “Doubt and suspicion cannot be the foundation of guilt. The prosecution has failed to prove any circumstances that directly link the accused to the crime,” the Bench said.
As a result, the Supreme Court acquitted the man after 22 years of legal battles and dismissed the case against him.
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