In Brief
A woman suffered severe burns and died. The trial court convicted her father-in-law and mother-in-law of murder based on her dying declaration to a magistrate stating they poured kerosene on her. The High Court acquitted them, doubting two conflicting dying declarations given two days apart. The Supreme Court allowed the State's appeal, holding that the magistrate-recorded declaration was more reliable than the police version, required no corroboration, and was consistent with medical evidence showing burns on body parts inconsistent with self-immolation. The conviction was restored.
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