In Brief
On 11 March 1998, Mohan Mehtar, a Scheduled Caste member, was shot dead near Railway Colony in Madhya Pradesh. The trial court convicted four men including Harnam Singh (who fired the fatal shot) and his brothers Balvir and Bhav Singh for murder. The Supreme Court affirmed Harnam Singh's conviction based on credible eyewitness testimony, finding that minor inconsistencies in witness accounts (regarding distance, injuries, and weapon details) did not undermine their core narrative. The Court held that oral evidence has primacy over forensic opinion when the latter is inconclusive. However, the Court acquitted Balvir and Bhav Singh, finding insufficient proof of common intention to commit murder; their mere presence and holding the victim after the initial attack did not establish pre-arranged concert or knowledge of the armed assault."
The lawyer headnote and full judgment text are available to registered users.