In Brief
In this criminal appeal, seven appellants convicted of murder and conspiracy under Sections 302, 364, and 120B IPC challenged their convictions. A young man named Deepu was murdered following a dog-bite dispute. The Supreme Court examined the prosecution case and found it rested primarily on uncorroborated testimony of Shyam Verma (PW 5), whose own role in the crime resembled that of an accomplice. Two other key witnesses turned hostile and failed to support the prosecution. The Court held that accomplice evidence must be corroborated in material particulars; absent such corroboration, conviction cannot stand. Finding no proven enmity between the deceased and the accused, the Court acquitted all appellants and set aside their convictions and sentences."
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