New Delhi, May 30 : The Supreme Court has acquitted two men who were awarded the death penalty in a rape and murder case, holding that the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt and that the evidence on record did not establish a complete chain of circumstances linking the accused to the crime.
A Bench of the apex court observed that there were serious deficiencies in the prosecution’s case and noted that several key circumstances relied upon to secure conviction were not conclusively established. The Court said the shortcomings in the investigation and evidence created significant doubts regarding the guilt of the accused.
The case related to the alleged rape and murder of a 55-year-old woman in Uttarakhand. After a detailed examination of the material on record, the Court found that the prosecution had failed to present a coherent and unbroken chain of circumstantial evidence necessary for sustaining a conviction in a capital punishment case.
The Bench reiterated that in cases resting solely on circumstantial evidence, every link in the chain must be firmly proved and must point only towards the guilt of the accused. It emphasized that mere suspicion, regardless of its strength, cannot replace legal proof.
Setting aside the convictions and death sentences imposed by the lower courts, the Supreme Court granted the benefit of doubt to both accused and ordered their acquittal.
The judgment underscores the need for courts to exercise extreme caution in cases involving the death penalty and reaffirms that convictions must be based on credible, reliable and legally admissible evidence, the Court said. (KNC)
