In Brief
Raja Khan was convicted of murder (Section 302) and destruction of evidence (Section 201) of Neeraj Yadav. The prosecution relied on circumstantial evidence: recovery of a blood-stained stone and gold chains allegedly made pursuant to the appellant's police custody disclosure statement. The High Court upheld conviction. The Supreme Court allowed the appeal, finding grave inconsistencies in recovery procedures. Seizure memos were prepared at the police station, not at recovery sites; panch witnesses testified they signed documents without reading them; the diver recovered items on police instruction, not the appellant's disclosure; and the Test Identification Parade of chains violated proper procedure. These inconsistencies broke the chain of circumstantial evidence, denying guilt beyond reasonable doubt. The appellant was entitled to the benefit of doubt and was acquitted.
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