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Supreme Court of India 2024-10-17 allowed

VISHWAJEET KERBA MASALKAR vs STATE OF MAHARASHTRA

Bench: 3 — B.R. Gavai, Prashant Kumar Mishra, K.V. Viswanathan

In Brief

The appellant was convicted of murdering his mother, wife, and daughter (charges under Sections 302, 307, and 201 IPC) based on an eyewitness account and circumstantial evidence. The Supreme Court set aside the conviction and death sentence. The sole eyewitness's statement was recorded six days after the incident without explanation, despite him being conscious. Recoveries of the alleged murder weapon and blood-stained clothes were from accessible locations without proper evidence integrity. The Court found that the prosecution failed to meet the legal threshold requiring proof that the accused 'must be' guilty, not merely 'may be' guilty. Suspicion and motive alone cannot substitute for proof beyond reasonable doubt.

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Criminal Law Evidence Circumstantial Evidence Murder Death Penalty Criminal Procedure

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