The Supreme Court declared on Thursday when acquitting a man in a murder case that an accused cannot be found guilty based on suspicion, no matter how strong that suspicion may be. Unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, an accused is deemed innocent, according to a bench of Justices B R Gavai and P S Narasimha.
‘It is settled law that the suspicion, however strong it may be, cannot take the place of proof beyond reasonable doubt. An accused cannot be convicted on the ground of suspicion, no matter how strong it is,’ the bench said.
The prosecution has utterly failed to show the chain of events that can be stated to exclusively lead to the one and only conclusion, i.e., the accused’s guilt, according to the supreme court in the current case. In light of that, the bench stated, ‘In that view of the matter, we find that the judgment and order of the learned sessions judge and that of the high court are not sustainable.’
The Supreme Court was deliberating a man’s appeal against a judgement rendered by the High Court of Punjab and Haryana convicting him of crimes punishable under Sections 302 (murder) and 201 (causing the destruction of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, and sentencing him to rigorous imprisonment for life.
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