In Brief
On 30 July 2003, Lallu Singh was shot and killed by four accused persons in an ambush. Two eye-witnesses consistently identified the shooters. A gun recovered from one accused (Prem Yadav) matched, by ballistic examination, cartridges found at the scene. The trial court convicted all four under Section 302 IPC. The High Court acquitted them, citing delay in lodging the FIR and alleged procedural defects. The Supreme Court partly allowed the State's appeal: it confirmed the conviction of Prem Yadav (the gun owner), holding the ballistic evidence admissible and credible despite procedural non-compliance, and the FIR delay adequately explained. The convictions of the other three accused were set aside for lack of corroborating evidence beyond eye-witness testimony.
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