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Supreme Court of India 2025-12-18 allowed

Punimati & Anr vs State of Chhattisgarh & Ors

Bench: 2 — Prashant Kumar Mishra, Vipul M. Pancholi

In Brief

On 14 July 2010, Goreylal died following an alleged assault by seven accused persons near a pond. The deceased's mother lodged the FIR, claiming her granddaughter witnessed the attack. Both the trial court and high court convicted the accused for murder under Sections 302/149 IPC and sentenced them to life imprisonment. The Supreme Court reversed the convictions, finding the prosecution case critically flawed. The mother's testimony contained material contradictions with the FIR, the granddaughter (best witness) was never examined, and independent witnesses turned hostile. Medical evidence provided only vague opinion without clearly linking specific injuries to alleged weapons. The Court held conviction unsafe and acquitted all appellants, emphasizing that serious charges require proof beyond reasonable doubt with reliable corroboration, not interested witness testimony alone.

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Criminal Law Evidence Witness Credibility Murder Group Liability Medical Evidence Criminal Procedure Burden of Proof

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