In Brief
The Supreme Court acquitted three appellants (Abdul Wahid, Babu, and Abdul Shakur) of murder charges under Sections 302/149 IPC. They had been convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment by the trial court and High Court for allegedly murdering Ahsan Ali during a group assault. The Court found that the prosecution's case rested solely on the uncorroborated testimony of one eyewitness (PW-1), who was a relative and employee of the deceased with criminal antecedents and a history as a 'stock witness' for police. The Court noted critical investigative failures: the motorcycle was not seized despite profuse bleeding; blood soil samples were not collected; recovered weapons lacked blood stains; and seizure witnesses turned hostile. Given these deficiencies and inconsistencies in eyewitness accounts, the Court held the appellants were entitled to the benefit of doubt and acquitted them, discharging their bail bonds.
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