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Supreme Court of India 2017-04-11 disposed

State of Rajasthan vs Ramanand

Bench: 2 — Uday Umesh Lalit

In Brief

The respondent was convicted by the trial court for murdering his wife Anita and daughter Ekta. The High Court acquitted him of murder but convicted him under Section 306 IPC (abetment of suicide), reducing his sentence. The Supreme Court held that medical evidence conclusively showed the deaths resulted from strangulation, not suicide or burns, making the Section 306 conviction wholly unjustified. The prosecution's case rested entirely on circumstantial evidence with no direct proof that the respondent caused the deaths. Without evidence ruling out all alternative hypotheses, the respondent was entitled to the benefit of doubt. The Court acquitted him of all charges and disposed of the appeal.

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Criminal Law Evidence Circumstantial Evidence Murder Abetment of Suicide Medical Evidence Post-mortem Burden of Proof Benefit of Doubt Constitutional Law

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