In Brief
The State of U.P. appealed against the High Court's acquittal of four accused persons (Prem Bhujva, Raghuvir, Mehngu, and Prem Yadav) in a murder case. The trial court had convicted all four under Section 302 IPC based on eyewitness testimony and ballistic evidence. The High Court set aside the conviction, citing delay in lodging the FIR and doubting the eyewitness accounts. The Supreme Court allowed the appeal for accused Prem Yadav, finding the eyewitness evidence credible, the delay satisfactorily explained, and the ballistic expert's opinion (showing the recovered gun fired the cartridges at the scene) a formidable corroborative circumstance. However, for the other three accused, absent independent corroborating evidence, the Court upheld acquittal, extending benefit of doubt.
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