In Brief
Ramesh Dasu Chauhan and another were convicted of murdering 79-year-old Kamlesh Kumari Trivedi in her apartment and robbing her of valuables including a television set. The Trial Court and High Court both upheld their convictions. On appeal to the Supreme Court, the appellants challenged the circumstantial evidence as insufficient. The Court held that the eyewitness testimony that the appellants entered the apartment building on the date and time of the crime, the post-mortem evidence of homicidal death by strangulation, and the recovery of stolen items from the appellants—identified as the victim's property—formed an unbroken chain of circumstantial evidence. Their silence, evasive statements under Section 313 Cr.PC, and failure to provide alternative explanations or contest their identification further confirmed guilt beyond reasonable doubt. The Court dismissed the appeal and upheld their life sentences.
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