In Brief
On 11 March 1998, Mohan Mehtar, a member of the Scheduled Caste, was fatally shot by Harnam Singh with a country-made pistol near a railway colony in Madhya Pradesh. Three eyewitnesses—Santosh Rai, Devendra Rai, and Kamal—testified consistently to the shooting. The Supreme Court upheld Harnam Singh's conviction for murder (Section 302 IPC) and illegal firearms possession (Section 25/27, Arms Act 1959), affirming life imprisonment. However, the Court acquitted co-accused Balvir Singh and Bhav Singh of murder charges, finding insufficient evidence of common intention under Section 34 IPC. The decision emphasised that credible eyewitness testimony is paramount and minor inconsistencies do not undermine reliability.",
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