Supreme Court of India Judgements

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Category: Acquittal

Acquittal Electricity Act

Electricity Act, 1910 — Sections 39 and 44 — Theft of energy and interference with meters — Prosecution’s case based on alleged tampering of meter box with holes leading to reduced meter readings — Evidence from prosecution witnesses found to be based on estimation, presumption, approximation or possibilities, not on concrete proof — Lack of direct evidence showing accused tampering with the meter box or using artificial means for theft — Failure of prosecution to prove dishonest abstraction or consumption of electricity and malicious injury or fraudulent alteration of meter index beyond reasonable doubt — High Court’s reversal of acquittal by Trial Court found to be erroneous

Oct 11, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1206 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH MAHAVEER Vs. STATE OF MAHARASHTRA AND ANOTHER ( Before : Sanjay Karol and Prashant Kumar Mishra, JJ. ) Criminal Appeal Nos.…

Acquittal

Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) — Section 374(2) — Appeals against conviction — High Court’s power to acquit — High Court, after considering evidence and finding patent infirmities and insufficiency of evidence in the prosecution case, rightly acquitted the accused giving them the benefit of doubt.- Evidence Act, 1872 — Section 65-B — Electronic records — Call detail records — Non-production of certificate under Section 65-B along with call detail records renders them inadmissible — Handwritten notes of call details without examining the scribe are not proved according to law.

Oct 2, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1166 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH STATE OF RAJASTHAN Vs. BHANWAR SINGH ETC. ETC ( Before : Sandeep Mehta and Joymalya Bagchi, JJ. ) Criminal Appeal No(s).…

Acquittal

Penal Code, 1860 — Sections 302, 364, and 201 — Conviction for murder, kidnapping, and causing disappearance of evidence — Circumstantial evidence — “Last seen” theory — Prosecution failed to prove essential elements of the crime — Witnesses turned hostile and could not identify the accused or prove the alleged kidnapping — Evidence did not establish that the deceased was last seen with the accused

Sep 21, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 1124 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH THAMMINENI BHASKAR Vs. THE STATE OF ANDHRA PRADESH ( Before : Pankaj Mithal and Prasanna B. Varale, JJ. ) Criminal Appeal…

Acquittal

Penal Code, 1860 — Sections 302, 34, 120B — Murder — Appeal against conviction and sentence for murder — Key eyewitness evidence of the deceased’s son and wife — Distance allegedly covered on bicycle within thirty minutes questioned — Improbability of covering 16 kilometers in that timeframe raised substantial doubt about their presence at the crime scene — Absence of corroboration from other witnesses, who turned hostile and suggested multiple assailants, further weakens the prosecution’s case — Post-mortem report indicating numerous injuries, consistent with multiple attackers — Deceased’s history as a habitual drunkard and criminal suggests potential enmity with various individuals — Conviction based solely on questionable eyewitness testimony not sustainable when reasonable doubt exists about accused’s presence and involvement — Appeal allowed, conviction and sentence set aside

Jul 29, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 880 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH ESAKKIMUTHU AND OTHERS Vs. STATE REPRESENTED BY THE INSPECTOR OF POLICE ( Before : Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta, JJ. )…

Acquittal

Hostile witnesses — Effect — When a large number of witnesses, including eyewitnesses, turn hostile, prosecution case often collapses for want of evidence — While reasons for hostility can be varied (coercion, fear, monetary consideration, etc.), it cannot automatically lead to conviction based on prior S. 161 statements or IO’s testimony about such statements, as these are not substantive evidence — Court’s consternation at collapse of a serious case due to witness hostility cannot be a reason to convict on insufficient or inadmissible evidence, amounting to a moral conviction anathema to criminal jurisprudence.

May 13, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 657 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH RENUKA PRASAD Vs. THE STATE REPRESENTED BY ASSISTANT SUPERINTENDENT OF POLICE ( Before : Sudhanshu Dhulia and K. Vinod Chandran, JJ.…

Acquittal Corruption

Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 — Sections 7, 13(1)(d) r/w S. 13(2) a— Illegal gratification — Demand and Acceptance — Proof beyond reasonable doubt — Where prosecution case regarding demand and acceptance of bribe by public servant (Revenue Inspector) suffered from material contradictions and inconsistencies in evidence of complainant (PW1) and other prosecution witnesses (PW7) Minor discrepancies may not be fatal, but serious contradictions going to root of matter, rendering evidence untrustworthy, are grounds for acquittal.

May 13, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 655 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH PARITALA SUDHAKAR Vs. STATE OF TELANGANA ( Before : Sudhanshu Dhulia and Ahsanuddin Amanullah, JJ. ) Criminal Appeal No…..of 2025 [@…

Acquittal

Supreme Court sets aside the High Court’s conviction of six individuals for rioting and related offences, restoring their acquittal, as their mere presence at the crime scene amidst a large crowd was insufficient to prove membership in an unlawful assembly without evidence of specific roles or overt acts.

Mar 23, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 381 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH DHIRUBHAI BHAILALBHAI CHAUHAN AND ANOTHER Vs. STATE OF GUJARAT AND OTHERS ( Before : Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha and Manoj Misra, JJ.…

Acquittal

The Supreme Court found the prosecution failed to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, citing inconsistencies in recovery witness testimonies, discrepancies in the recovery process, and lack of corroboration for the “last seen” testimony — The Court emphasized that recovery memos prepared at the police station lacked sanctity — Granting the benefit of the doubt, the Court acquitted the Appellant, set aside the convictions, and ordered his release.

Feb 9, 2025 sclaw

2025 INSC 167 SUPREME COURT OF INDIA DIVISION BENCH RAJA KHAN Vs. STATE OF CHATTISGARH ( Before : Sanjay Karol and Manmohan, JJ. ) Criminal Appeal No. 70 of 2025…

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Environment

Environment Law — Environmental Clearance — Prior clearance — Mandatory character — Prior environmental clearance under EIA Notification, 2006 is mandatory, being founded on the precautionary principle and couched in imperative terms — Word “prior” and the graded four-stage screening, scoping, public consultation and appraisal process render an anterior assessment the sine qua non of the clearance regime — Decriminalisation of contraventions under Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023 does not alter this mandatory character.

Aug 2, 2026 sclaw
Bhartiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita Cr P C

Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023 — Section 415 — Appeal — Maintainability — Conviction recorded for first time by appellate court reversing acquittal — An appeal under Section 374 CrPC (Section 415 BNSS) is not maintainable against a judgment of conviction recorded by a Sessions Court while exercising appellate jurisdiction and reversing an order of acquittal passed by the Trial Court — No such second appeal is contemplated under CrPC or BNSS — The only remedy available is revision under Section 397 r/w 401 CrPC (Section 438 r/w 442 BNSS)

Aug 2, 2026 sclaw
Direct Taxation Income Tax Act

Income Tax Act, 1961 — Section 44B — “Carriage” of passengers — Meaning and scope of — Cruise operations by non-resident shipping entity — Held, the word “carriage” under Section 44B cannot be restrictively construed to mean movement only from Port A to Port B. A round-trip cruise voyage, where passengers have the option to disembark at intermediate ports without compulsion to return to the originating port, constitutes carriage of passengers within the meaning of Section 44B. Provision of incidental on-board entertainment and hospitality does not alter the essential character of the activity as carriage of passengers.

Aug 2, 2026 sclaw
Cr P C

Criminal Procedure Code, 1973 (CrPC) — Section 482 — Quashing of FIR — Scope of inquiry — Mini-trial impermissible — At the stage of considering quashing of an FIR, the Court’s inquiry is confined to whether the allegations, taken at face value, prima facie disclose commission of a cognizable offence — Court cannot conduct a “mini-trial” by sifting evidence, assessing probabilities, or evaluating witness credibility — High Court exceeding these limits by examining trap proceedings, absence of personal recovery, and departmental enquiry findings, held impermissible.

Aug 2, 2026 sclaw