In Brief
The State of Rajasthan appealed against the High Court's acquittal of Madan, who had been convicted of murder (IPC s. 302) and burglary (s. 460) by the trial court. The Supreme Court dismissed the appeal, finding no perversity in the acquittal. The court noted fatal contradictions in the prosecution's case: child eyewitnesses gave conflicting accounts of the victim's position during the assault; no independent corroboration existed; the family inexplicably did not report the crime; and forensic evidence contained unexplained inconsistencies. These material contradictions, going to the root of the matter, entitled the accused to the benefit of doubt. The burden to prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt lay with the prosecution and was not discharged.
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