In Brief
Two appellants were convicted by a trial court and the High Court for armed robbery of Gramin Sewa bus passengers in December 2011, under Sections 392/397 IPC and Section 25 of the Arms Act. The appellants were arrested two days after the incident, allegedly spotted near a bus depot and identified by the complainant. The Supreme Court allowed their appeals and acquitted them, finding the arrest procedure highly implausible, the identification unreliable (no test parades, long delays, contradictory witness statements), and the absence of recovered looted articles fatal to the prosecution case. The Court held that multiple improbabilities and lack of corroborative evidence entitled the appellants to the benefit of doubt."
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