In Brief
This Supreme Court judgment upheld the High Court's reversal of a trial court acquittal in a murder case from 1988. The appellants were accused of attacking a gathering in broad daylight, resulting in one death and six injuries. The trial court had acquitted all accused citing contradictions in witness statements. The High Court and Supreme Court found the trial court's approach "perverse" and reversed it. While evidence of interested witnesses requires careful scrutiny, it cannot be mechanically rejected for minor discrepancies. The Court held that when multiple injuries occur in unlawful assembly cases, perfect consistency from witnesses is unrealistic. Six appellants' conviction under Section 302 read with Section 149 IPC was upheld; two were acquitted for insufficient corroboration.
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