In Brief
Santosh Kumar Singh was convicted of murder alongside four co-accused by a trial court based on circumstantial evidence. The High Court acquitted all four co-accused (A-2 to A-5) but upheld his conviction. The Supreme Court allowed his appeal, holding that the prosecution failed to establish a complete chain of circumstantial evidence. The court ruled that the 'last seen theory' alone cannot justify conviction in such cases, and that where co-accused are acquitted and the alleged motive is disbelieved, the remaining accused deserves the benefit of doubt. The appellant was acquitted and ordered to be released.
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