In Brief
A man was convicted of murder and attempt to murder for firing gunshots at a complainant's group in 1997 during a land dispute. The trial and High Court upheld the conviction, but the Supreme Court reversed it. The Court found critical flaws: the incident occurred at 9 PM in darkness with no evidence of lighting, making identification unreliable; witnesses gave contradictory accounts about who fired the shots; the medical evidence did not specify whether injuries were from a rifle or shotgun recovered from the accused; and the recovery witnesses turned hostile. Without proof beyond reasonable doubt on these material points, the Court granted benefit of doubt and acquitted the appellant."
The lawyer headnote and full judgment text are available to registered users.