In Brief
On 20 February 2006, four villagers were murdered in daylight in Madhya Pradesh. The sole eyewitness, Kesar Bai (an elderly woman), identified the accused as Chhaakki Lal and his son Akhilesh. The trial court convicted both under Section 302 IPC and imposed death penalty. The High Court acquitted them, finding the witness unreliable due to contradictions in her evidence. The Supreme Court allowed the state's appeal, holding that minor discrepancies in an eyewitness's testimony—especially a grief-stricken elderly woman—do not undermine conviction when corroborated by medical and ballistic evidence. Restoring conviction but substituting life imprisonment for death penalty, considering the passage of time since the 2006 incident."
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