In Brief
The appellant was convicted of murder (Section 302 IPC) by the trial court based on circumstantial evidence and the conviction was upheld by the High Court. The prosecution's case rested on an alleged motive (unpaid loan) which was entirely unsupported by evidence, and alleged suspicious conduct (the appellant travelling 200 km to inform the deceased's family of his illness). The Supreme Court found that in a circumstantial evidence case, the prosecution must establish an unbroken chain connecting the accused to the crime. Here, the absence of motive and the insufficiency of a single circumstance to connect the appellant without direct evidence rendered the conviction unsafe. The Court allowed the appeal and set aside the conviction.
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