In Brief
In this criminal appeal, the Supreme Court upheld a High Court judgment overturning an acquittal in a murder case. The accused claimed he was entitled to the defense of unsoundness of mind (schizophrenia) under Section 84 of the Indian Penal Code. However, the Court found that while the accused had been treated for schizophrenia between 1992-1997, there was insufficient evidence that the illness had relapsed at the time of the crime in July 2003. The accused's conduct—working to a plan, performing normal activities immediately after, and making no complaint of mental illness when first produced before a magistrate—demonstrated he was of sound mind and understood the nature and wrongfulness of his act. The appeal was dismissed.
The lawyer headnote and full judgment text are available to registered users.