Category: Acquittal

ACQUITTAL – Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) – Sections 376(1) and 450 – Rape – Material contradictions – Benefit of doubt There is a delay in the FIR – The medical report does not support the case of the prosecution – FSL report also does not support the case of the prosecution – The manner in which the occurrence is stated to have occurred is not believable

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH SANTOSH PRASAD @ SANTOSH KUMAR — Appellant Vs. THE STATE OF BIHAR — Respondent ( Before : Ashok Bhushan and M.R. Shah, JJ. )…

Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) – Sections 143, 147, 148, 302 read with Section 149 – Explosive Substances Act, 1908 – Sections 3 and 5 – Unlawful assembly – Persons were armed with deadly weapons like country­ made bombs etc. HELD the scope of interference in an appeal against acquittal is very limited, the appellate court set aside the judgment of the trial court. It is obvious that the High Court also did not find material evidence to convict the accused and, therefore, set aside the judgment and remitted the matter to the trial court. In a criminal case, remand is not to be ordered as a matter of course. It is only if there is a minis­trial or some technical issues have arisen that such an order may be made but in very rare circumstances. – The trial court was justified in acquitting the accused

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH KOOLI SASEENDRAN AND OTHERS — Appellant Vs. STATE OF KERALA ETC. — Respondent ( Before : Deepak Gupta and Aniruddha Bose, JJ. ) Criminal…

Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) – Section 302 – Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) – Section 313 – Murder of child by mother – Appeal against conviction and sentence – Circumstantial evidence – HELD Though the doctor has opined in the post-mortem report, the cause of death is asphyxia but in absence of any clear evidence on record it is not safe to convict the appellant for the offence under Section 302 IPC – Appeal allowed.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH MANJU — Appellant Vs. STATE OF DELHI — Respondent ( Before : Mohan M. Shantanagoudar and R. Subhash Reddy, JJ. ) Criminal Appeal No.…

Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) – Sections 34 and 302 – Murder – Common intention – Appeal against conviction and sentence – Appellant was present on the spot of the offence HELD In order to invoke the principle of joint liability in the commission of a criminal act as laid down in Section 34, the prosecution should show that the criminal act in question was done by one of the accused persons in furtherance of the common intention of all.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH VIRENDER — Appellant Vs. STATE OF HARYANA — Respondent ( Before : Mohan M. Shantanagoudar and K. M. Joseph, JJ. ) Criminal Appeal No.…

Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) – Sections 302, 363, 364, 364-A and 365 and Section 120-B – Arms Act, 1959 – Section 21 (1)(a) – Explosives Act, 1884 – Section 3 and 5 – Murder – Acquittal – Last seen together theory -Apart from Extra-Judicial Confession by Appellant Accused No.-1 no direct evidence was adduced by the prosecution to establish involvement of the accused in the alleged crime. Entire case of the prosecution was based on circumstantial evidence and theory of last seen together.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA FULL BENCH SHAILENDRA RAJDEV PASVAN AND OTHERS — Appellant Vs. STATE OF GUJARAT ETC. — Respondent ( Before : N.V. Ramana, Sanjiv Khanna and Krishna Murari,…

Penal Code, 1860 (IPC) – Sections 302 and 149 – Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) – Section 161 – Murder -If the deposition of PW2 and PW3 are not reliable qua one of the accused on the grounds stated hereinabove and one of the accused came to be acquitted by giving benefit of doubt, the same benefit ought to have been given to the other accused also, unless there is some further material/evidence against the other accused.

SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH JODHRAJ AND ANOTHER — Appellant Vs. STATE OF RAJASTHAN — Respondent ( Before : Ashok Bhushan and M. R. Shah, JJ. ) Criminal Appeal…