In Brief
The appellant was convicted of murder (Section 302 IPC) and sentenced to life imprisonment based primarily on a dying declaration by the deceased blaming him for pouring kerosene and setting her on fire. The Supreme Court acquitted and released the appellant, holding that the dying declaration was unreliable because the deceased had made contradictory earlier statements claiming accidental fire, and the alleged corroborative evidence (kerosene can and smell) was undermined by hostile witnesses and the attending doctor's evidence of no kerosene smell. Without credible corroboration and given the inconsistencies, the Court held that a dying declaration alone was insufficient for conviction and the accused merited acquittal.
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