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Supreme Court of India 2024-03-18 allowed

PERIYASAMY vs THE STATE REP

Bench: 2 — Hrishikesh Roy, Sanjay Karol

In Brief

Two men were convicted of murder and attempt to murder for stabbing two persons to death in a 2002 wine shop incident. The Supreme Court acquitted both appellants, finding the prosecution case unreliable. The three main eyewitnesses were all interested parties with contradictions in their accounts; despite the incident occurring in a crowded public location, no independent witnesses were examined. Significant investigative lapses included unexplained delays, material alterations to records, absence of scientific investigation, and medical evidence contradicting the prosecution narrative. The Court held that the cumulative deficiencies rendered the convictions unsustainable beyond reasonable doubt, emphasizing that even interested witness testimony requires careful scrutiny and cannot support conviction when marred by such systemic failures in investigation and presentation."

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