In Brief
The Supreme Court addressed a critical procedural error by the Madras High Court that had convicted six accused persons in two separate criminal appeals based on evidence from only one trial. The Court held that evidence recorded in a criminal trial against specific accused is confined to those accused alone and cannot be used to decide culpability of co-accused tried separately, even for the same offence. The appellate court must distinctly consider each trial's evidence separately. The judgment was set aside and both matters remanded to the High Court for fresh decision in accordance with law, with all questions of law and fact remaining open for independent consideration.
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