In Brief
The Supreme Court upheld the concurrent conviction of eight accused persons for the murder of Satyappa in August 2004. Despite being based substantially on the testimony of a single eyewitness (the deceased's brother), the Court held that where a witness is absolutely reliable and consistent, and his testimony is unshaken, conviction is sustainable even for multiple accused. The Court rejected the appellants' argument that relying on one witness to convict eight persons was excessive, emphasizing that quality of evidence outweighs quantity. The Court confirmed that being a close relative does not disqualify testimony, that hostile witnesses' corroborated evidence is admissible, and that Section 149 IPC attracts vicarious liability for mere presence in an unlawful assembly with knowledge of common object.
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