In Brief
A hotel owner (Accused No. 1) desired to marry a woman (PW1) already wedded to Santhakumar, her husband. Following an earlier abduction in October 2001, Accused No. 1 orchestrated Santhakumar's murder and disposal of his body in a forest. The Supreme Court upheld convictions for murder and related offences, dismissing appellants' challenges. The Court held that a separate FIR for murder—distinct from the prior abduction FIR—was legally permissible as the crimes involved different intentions and transactions. Relying on circumstantial evidence (motive, last-seen testimony, body identification via superimposition and apparel recognition, and recovery through confession), the Court affirmed the complete chain of incriminating circumstances and rejected arguments that superimposition without DNA testing was improper.
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