In Brief
The State appealed against the High Court's acquittal of five accused convicted of murder, arson, and causing deaths. The High Court had doubted the identification of the accused, particularly because there was no blackening on the wall where an oil lantern allegedly hung during the incident. The Supreme Court held that the High Court erred in rejecting eyewitness testimony based on minor inconsistencies and misinterpretation of evidence. The Court emphasised that testimony from injured eyewitnesses is highly reliable, and the accused were family members easily identifiable by sight and voice. The Court set aside the acquittal and reinstated convictions, but converted capital punishment to life imprisonment due to the 10-year delay and deaths of two accused.
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