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Supreme Court of India 2021-08-18 allowed

MADHAV vs STATE OF MADHYA PRADESH

Bench: 2 — Indira Banerjee, V. Ramasubramanian

In Brief

Madhav and his sister Sahodra Bai were convicted of murder under Section 302 IPC, allegedly committed in 2008. The Supreme Court allowed their appeal and acquitted all three accused, finding that the entire investigation was compromised by political pressure. The investigating officer had reversed the direction of inquiry, initially naming two persons as accused but then pivoting to prosecute the informant's family instead. Key witnesses who allegedly witnessed seizure of weapons turned hostile, and no forensic link was established between blood stains and the victim. The Court held that without credible evidence and given the investigator's own admissions of political interference, conviction could not stand.

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Criminal Law Evidence Police Misconduct Witness Credibility Murder Forensic Evidence Political Pressure in Investigation Amicus Curiae Representation Investigative Procedure

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