Breaking SUPREME COURT REAFFIRMS PUBLIC DOMAIN PROTECTION FOR DIGITAL LAWS
New Delhi · Monday, 21 September 2026 9888666310 | [email protected]
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Supreme Court of India 2017-11-30 allowed

Shanker Dev vs State of Himachal Pradesh

Bench: 2 — Ranjan Gogoi

In Brief

The appellant was acquitted by the trial court of murder under Section 302 IPC in a death case, but the High Court convicted him under Section 325 IPC (voluntarily causing hurt) and sentenced him to one year imprisonment and a fine. The Supreme Court reversed this conviction, holding that the postmortem showed no injuries on the deceased and established death by heart failure. The High Court's speculation that a blow to the chest caused the heart failure was contradicted by the medical expert's evidence that such trauma would have caused instantaneous death. The Court held that motive alone cannot establish culpability without credible evidence, and the trial court's finding that motive was not proved was adequate. The appeal was allowed and the conviction set aside."

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