In Brief
The appellant was accused of possessing 7 kg of charas (hashish) after allegedly being apprehended with a bag at Patarna bridge. The trial court acquitted him due to contradictions in police witness testimony and the absence of independent witnesses. The High Court reversed the acquittal and convicted him to 20 years rigorous imprisonment. The Supreme Court allowed the appeal, holding that material contradictions between witnesses regarding whether it was dark at the time of apprehension, and conflicting accounts about who authored official documents, rendered the prosecution case unreliable. The Court found the High Court erred in ignoring these contradictions and in not requiring independent corroboration when available."
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