In Brief
Anjan Dasgupta was acquitted of murder charges by the trial court, which found the FIR unreliable for being ante-timed and antedated. The High Court reversed this acquittal and convicted him under Section 302/34 IPC with life imprisonment. The Supreme Court upheld the conviction, finding the trial court's reasoning flawed. The FIR was properly recorded on 16 June 2000 before the inquest report began, despite the complaint being lodged at 7:30-8:00 PM; the time entry 17:35 reflects when police received information. Multiple credible eyewitnesses consistently testified to the appellant's presence at the crime scene and his participation in directing the fatal shooting. Minor discrepancies did not undermine their core accounts. The appeal was dismissed and the conviction upheld.
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