In Brief
This case involved seven police officers accused of custodial torture and homicide of Shama @ Kalya in 1995. The High Court confirmed convictions for torture but acquitted them under Section 201 IPC (destruction of evidence of murder) after rejecting fingerprint evidence identifying the recovered body as Shama. The Supreme Court divided: the majority held the appellants entitled to acquittal under Section 304 Part-II IPC (causing death by rash or negligent act) due to insufficient evidence of homicidal death once fingerprint evidence was rejected, allowing only convictions for torture to stand. The dissent argued the appellants' fabricated escape story and proven torture, combined with Shama's inability to escape, established he died in custody, warranting conviction for custodial death.
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