In Brief
The appellant was convicted of murder under Section 302 IPC read with Section 34 based primarily on eyewitness testimony from PW-1. However, the Supreme Court found the conviction unsafe because: (1) PW-1 had falsely implicated four other accused who were acquitted, showing unreliability; (2) the incident occurred after 8.30 p.m. in darkness with no established lighting; (3) PW-1 initially told the deceased's wife that 'somebody' killed him without naming the appellant; (4) the post-mortem doctor opined the injuries could not be caused by the alleged weapon; and (5) weapon recovery was unproven. The Court held guilt was not established beyond reasonable doubt and allowed the appeal, setting aside the conviction.
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