In Brief
This case involved the murder of Rajappa, allegedly committed by the appellant and others in a communal dispute over a construction contract in a Tamil Nadu village. The appellant was convicted based primarily on the testimony of Rajappa's brother (PW-1), an interested witness with previous enmity towards the accused. The Supreme Court held that since the same witness had been found unreliable by the trial court regarding other accused and the High Court had acquitted a co-accused (identified by the same witness) without independent corroboration, the appellant's conviction could not stand on that uncorroborated testimony alone. The Court allowed the appeal and acquitted the appellant.
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