In Brief
A forest range officer was acquitted by the trial court for allegedly driving his wife to commit suicide by cruelty and harassment. The deceased died by gunshot, and the prosecution relied mainly on relatives' oral testimony and a letter allegedly written by the deceased. The High Court reversed the acquittal and convicted him. The Supreme Court allowed his appeal, holding that the High Court erred in overturning a well-reasoned acquittal without grave infirmity. The letter was unreliable due to suspicious delays in production and lack of independent proof of authorship. General oral testimony of relatives alone, without corroboration, cannot sustain conviction. The judgment was set aside and the trial court's acquittal was affirmed.
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