In Brief
A woman was admitted to hospital with severe burn injuries and made dying declarations accusing her mother-in-law, Ganwara, of burning her in a dowry-related dispute. The trial court convicted Ganwara under Section 302, IPC. The High Court acquitted her, finding the dying declarations unreliable due to contradictions, absence of corroboration, and evidence of potential tutoring by relatives. The Supreme Court upheld the acquittal, holding that dying declarations must be free from doubt and inspire full confidence. Here, the multiple contradictory statements, lack of eyewitness support, and the investigating officer's own findings that the accused was absent and took the victim to hospital collectively undermined the prosecution case. The accused was entitled to the benefit of doubt.
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