Acquittal Archives - Supreme Court of India Judgements

May 14, 2026 4:37 pm

Criminal Law — Circumstantial Evidence — Burden of Proof — Reasonable Doubt — Conviction based on circumstantial evidence requires a complete chain of evidence that leaves no reasonable ground for doubt, consistent only with the hypothesis of guilt. The court found that the prosecution failed to prove its case against the appellants beyond reasonable doubt, with the sole remaining incriminating circumstance being the “last seen together” theory, which was deemed insufficient for conviction as an accomplice.

Apr 28, 2026 sclaw

2026 INSC 417 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH ANAND JAKKAPPA PUJARI @GADDADAR Vs. THE STATE OF KARNATAKA ( Before : J.B. Pardiwala and K. V. Viswanathan, JJ. ) Criminal…

Acquittal

Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) — Section 374 — Appeal against dismissal of criminal appeal by High Court — Conviction under Section 302 IPC and Section 27 Arms Act — Prosecution case based entirely on circumstantial evidence — No eyewitnesses — Reliability of prosecution witnesses critically examined — Admission by key witness regarding darkness and identification by voice only, materially undermining credibility — Evidence found insufficient to meet standard of proof in criminal law and exclude reasonable hypotheses of innocence — Conviction set aside and appellant acquitted.

Apr 7, 2026 sclaw

2026 INSC 317 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH JAY PRAKASH YADAV Vs. THE STATE OF JHARKHAND ( Before : Dipankar Datta and Satish Chandra Sharma, JJ. ) Criminal Appeal…

Acquittal

Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) — Sections 482 and 226 — Quashing of FIR and criminal proceedings — Allegations of dowry demand, cruelty, and assault resulting in miscarriage — Delay in lodging FIR — Vague and omnibus allegations without corroborating evidence — Inherent improbability of allegations — Abuse of process of law — The Supreme Court quashed the FIR and criminal proceedings against the appellants (sister-in-law and parents-in-law) leading to a miscarriage — The Court noted significant delay in lodging the FIR, vague and omnibus allegations without concrete evidence, and the inherent improbability of the accusations — The Court emphasized that general and sweeping accusations unsupported by evidence cannot form the basis for criminal prosecution and that the legal provisions should not be misused for personal vendetta or arm-twisting tactics — The Court relied on the principles laid down in State of Haryana vs Bhajan Lal, including cases where allegations are absurd or inherently improbable, or where the proceeding is maliciously instituted with ulterior motive — The Court also considered the age and career prospects of the accused, deeming it inexpedient and not in the interest of justice to allow the prosecution to continue against them.

Mar 29, 2026 sclaw

2026 INSC 297 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH CHARUL SHUKLA Vs. STATE OF U.P. AND OTHERS ( Before : B.V. Nagarathna and Ujjal Bhuyan, JJ. ) Criminal Appeal No…..of…

Acquittal Narcotics

Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, 1985 (NDPS Act) — Section 50 — Compliance with search provisions — Accused must be apprised of legal right to be searched before a Magistrate or Gazetted Officer, not a Police Officer — Offering a third option to be searched before a Police Officer contravenes Section 50 and vitiates the entire trial — High Court correctly set aside conviction based on non-compliance with Section 50

Mar 17, 2026 sclaw

2026 INSC 240 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH THE STATE OF HIMACHAL PRADESH Vs. SURAT SINGH ( Before : Pankaj Mithal and Prasanna B. Varale, JJ. ) Criminal Appeal…

Acquittal

Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) — Sections 302/34, 201 — Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 — Sections 103(1)/3(5), 238 — Circumstantial evidence — Conviction based on circumstantial evidence must fulfill stringent conditions — Circumstances must be fully established, consistent only with hypothesis of guilt, conclusive in nature, exclude every possible hypothesis except guilt, and form complete chain of evidence — Prosecution failed to prove incriminating circumstances against accused by cogent and admissible evidence — Conviction set aside.

Mar 15, 2026 sclaw

2026 INSC 217 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA FULL BENCH POORANMAL Vs. THE STATE OF RAJASTHAN AND ANOTHER ( Before : Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and N.V. Anjaria, JJ. ) Criminal…

Acquittal

Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) — Sections 376(2)(g) and 506 — Conviction based on sole testimony of prosecutrix — Delay in lodging FIR — Lack of corroborative evidence — Court held that conviction can be based on sole testimony of prosecutrix only if it inspires confidence — In this case, the prosecutrix’s version did not inspire confidence due to unexplained delay and lack of disclosure to family, inconsistencies in statements, and absence of medical or other corroborative evidence — Defence of prior enmity also not properly considered — Conviction set aside.

Mar 15, 2026 sclaw

2026 INSC 238 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH RAJENDRA AND OTHERS Vs. STATE OF UTTARAKHAND ( Before : Pankaj Mithal and Prasanna B. Varale, JJ. ) Criminal Appeal No.(s)…

Acquittal Dying Declaration

Criminal Law — Investigation — Overzealous or lethargic investigation can be fatal to prosecution — A proper investigation requires drawing up a scene mahazar, forensic examination, independent witnesses, and thorough examination of the cause of fire — The failure to do so, coupled with contradictory statements from the investigating officer and undue haste in recording statements, can render the investigation a sham and prejudice the accused — Acquittal upheld by the Supreme Court due to flawed investigation and lack of credible evidence.

Mar 14, 2026 sclaw

2026 INSC 223 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH SANJAY KUMAR SHARMA Vs. STATE OF BIHAR AND OTHERS ( Before : Sanjay Kumar and K. Vinod Chandran, JJ. ) Criminal…

Acquittal I P C

Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) —Section 302 read with Sections 149 and 148 — Murder —Conviction affirmed by High Court — Appeal to Supreme Court — Sufficiency of evidence — Role of interested/related witnesses — Deposition of PW-4 (mother of deceased and alleged eyewitness) scrutinized closely — Material contradictions found in PW-4’s evidence regarding the manner of assault and who informed her — Failure of prosecution to examine key witness (deceased’s granddaughter, who initially informed PW-4) — Independent witnesses (PW-1, PW-2, PW-3 and PW-9) turned hostile — Recovery of weapons based on accused’s memorandum/statement rendered unreliable when supporting witnesses hostile. (Paras 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 14, 15)

Dec 19, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1454 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH PUNIMATI AND ANOTHER Vs. THE STATE OF CHHATTISGARH AND OTHERS ( Before : Prashant Kumar Mishra and Vipul M. Pancholi, JJ.…

Acquittal Cr P C

Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) — Section 482 — Inherent powers of High Court — Quashing of criminal proceedings — Arms Act, 1959 — Section 13(2A) — Prosecution of public servant (IAS officer/District Magistrate) for alleged irregularities in issuing arms licenses and criminal conspiracy (Sections 109, 419, 420, 467, 468, 471, 120B IPC and Section 30 Arms Act) — Delay in investigation and sanction — Quashing justified where sanction is non-speaking and investigation is inordinately and unjustifiably delayed.

Nov 23, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1339 SUPREME COURT OF NDIA DIVISION BENCH ROBERT LALCHUNGNUNGA CHONGTHU @ R L CHONGTHU Vs. STATE OF BIHAR ( Before : Sanjay Karol and Nongmeikapam Kotiswar Singh, JJ.…

Acquittal

Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) — Sections 302, 449, 376, 394 — Appeal against High Court’s upholding of conviction and sentence — Case based on circumstantial evidence — Absence of direct evidence connecting appellant to offense — Falsely implicated — Prosecution failed to establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt — No scientific evidence linking appellant — Important witnesses not associated in investigation or produced in court — Appeal allowed, conviction and sentence set aside.

Nov 2, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1269 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH MOHAMED SAMEER KHAN Vs. STATE REPRESENTED BY INSPECTOR OF POLICE ( Before : Dipankar Datta and Augustine George Masih, JJ. )…

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Constitution

Constitution of India, 1950 — Article 226 — Exercise of Writ Jurisdiction — High Court’s power under Article 226 is extraordinary and discretionary, subject to self-imposed restrictions — Ordinarily, it should not be exercised when an effective alternative remedy is available to the aggrieved person, such as pursuing remedies under statutory frameworks like the CrPC or BNSS, unless specific exceptions apply.

May 12, 2026 sclaw

Consumer

Consumer Protection Act, 1986 — Applicability of Order 22 of CPC to death of parties — Section 13(7) made Order 22 of CPC applicable to death of complainant or opposite party, allowing substitution of legal heirs if the right to sue survives — This procedural rule must be harmoniously construed with substantive law like Section 306 of Indian Succession Act, 1925, which governs survivability of causes of action

May 12, 2026 sclaw

Service

Service Law — Recruitment Rules — Eligibility Criteria — Date of Possession of Qualification — For recruitment to the post of Assistant Prosecution Officer, the essential educational qualification must be possessed by the candidate on the date of submission of the application, not at a later stage like the interview or examination date.

May 12, 2026 sclaw

Service

Public Administration and Service Rules — Interpretation of merger of departments and promotion rules — The Supreme Court set aside the High Court’s judgment that questioned a government order (G.O.) granting a notional promotion to an employee — The Court found that the original G.O — was issued in compliance with prior High Court orders and a merger policy that was not challenged by any party, thus validating the promotion and subsequent advancements.

May 12, 2026 sclaw

Category: Acquittal

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