In Brief
A woman, Meena Devi, was found hanging from a tree after her brother-in-law, Raj Kumar, was seen beating her and taking her away while intoxicated. The trial court convicted him for murder based on circumstantial evidence. The High Court acquitted him, finding the sole eyewitness unreliable due to minor inconsistencies. The Supreme Court reversed the acquittal, holding that the witness's testimony, when read holistically, was truthful and consistent with the prosecution case; cumulative circumstances—motive, the accused's actions, medical evidence of homicide, failure to report the missing person, and failure to offer any explanation—formed a complete and unbroken chain pointing solely to the accused's guilt.
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