The Supreme Court on Friday set aside the conviction and life sentence handed down to four persons in a 25-year-old murder case, saying the evidence on record leaves “substantial gaps” which create a reasonable doubt regarding their involvement in the alleged crime.
The bench, which referred to two previous judgments of the top court, noted the categorical finding recorded by the high court that it was not possible for the prosecution witnesses to have witnessed the incident on a pitch-dark night or to identify the assailants merely on the basis of the sound of assault.
It said that according to the testimonies of the witnesses, it was evident that the incident took place in a pitch-dark night.
Supreme Court Overturns Conviction of Six in Homicide Case
The Supreme Court has overturned the conviction of six individuals previously found guilty of homicide by the Orissa High Court in May 2009. The bench, consisting of Justices M M Sundresh and Prasanna B Varale, ruled on appeals filed by the convicted parties against the high court’s decision.
While the medical evidence confirmed that the deceased died from homicidal causes, the Supreme Court highlighted a critical issue: the prosecution did not successfully prove the appellants’ involvement in the crime. The justices stated, “Though the medical evidence clearly established that the deceased died a homicidal death, the question before us is whether the prosecution was successful in establishing the appellants’ authorship of the crime, and we find that the prosecution failed to establish its case…”
