In Brief
The appellant was convicted of murdering his wife, Laxmi, who was found hanging by a plastic rope. The trial court and High Court upheld the conviction and life sentence. The Supreme Court reversed the conviction, finding insufficient evidence of homicide. Key factors were: absence of evidence that the victim was first rendered unconscious; no marks of struggle or violence on the body; no bruises from forcible handling; two ligature marks did not necessarily indicate strangulation. The Court held that homicidal hanging by one person against an adult is rare and normally requires evidence of rendering the victim unconscious or the help of a companion. In light of serious doubts, the benefit of doubt went to the appellant, and he was acquitted.
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