In Brief
A mother-in-law was accused of burning her daughter-in-law alive over dowry demands. The victim gave dying declarations to police and a magistrate, but the Court found them unreliable because they contradicted each other on material facts, lacked corroboration by witnesses at the scene, and appeared influenced by family members present during recording. The trial court had convicted on the basis of these declarations, but the High Court acquitted. The Supreme Court upheld the acquittal, holding that dying declarations must inspire full confidence and cannot safely sustain conviction when contradictory, uncorroborated, and potentially tutored—requiring the benefit of doubt to the accused.
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