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IN THE HIGH COURT OF JHARKHAND AT RANCHI
RONGON MUKHOPADHYAY, PRADEEP KUMAR SRIVASTAVA
Lakhan @ Pandu Dehri S/o Late Kanhai Dehri – Appellant
Versus
State of Jharkhand – Respondent
JUDGMENT :
Pradeep Kumar Srivastava, J.
1. The aforesaid appellants have preferred the present appeal through Jail Superintendent, Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan, Central Prison, Hazaribag through Letter No. 1741 dated 07.07.2004.
2. The appellants have been convicted and sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for life along with fine of Rs. 5,000/- with default stipulation for the offence under Section 302 /34 of IPC by the First Additional Sessions Judge, Pakur vide impugned judgment dated 12.03.2004.
Factual Matrix:-
3. On 25.08.2001 at about 14:00 hours, Fardbeyan of one Mr. Dilip Kumar Hansda (Village Pradhan), Tilwariya (Manjhitola) was recorded by S.I. Dayanand Azad (P.W.-10), Officer-in-charge of Pakuria Police Station stating inter alia in the presence of Village Chowkidar-Bharat Rai that in the morning, some villagers came to him and told that dead body of a person is lying near Tilwaria Village Math. He along with other villagers went to place of occurrence and saw the dead body of a person aged about 30-35 years was lying and it appeared that the said person was crushed by bolder (Big Stone) on his head and blood was oozing from nose also. None of the villagers succeeded
Conviction requires credible evidence beyond reasonable doubt; untrustworthy eyewitness testimony cannot sustain a murder conviction.
Conviction requires reliable evidence; inconsistent eyewitness testimony undermines the case, leading to acquittal.
The reliability of eyewitness accounts and dying declarations is crucial for a conviction under Section 302 of the IPC; discrepancies and doubts in witness testimonies can lead to acquittal.
The judgment emphasizes the need for caution in evaluating evidence in a grave crime, the requirement for independent corroboration of related witnesses, and the importance of proving the plea of ali....
Eyewitness testimony must be consistent and corroborated; convictions cannot rely solely on the testimony of closely related witnesses without independent verification.
Eyewitness accounts unreliable due to inconsistencies, visibility doubts (distances, covered faces, hiding), suppressed initial report; benefit of doubt requires acquittal in multiple murder case by ....
The court ruled that significant inconsistencies and doubts in witness testimony and FIR delay warranted acquittal, reaffirming that proof beyond a reasonable doubt is essential in criminal trials.
The prosecution must establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt based on credible evidence, including witness testimony and medical findings, even absent direct physical evidence like weapon recovery.
The prosecution must prove the guilt of the accused beyond reasonable doubt. If there is any doubt as to the guilt of the accused, the accused must be acquitted.
The conviction upheld based on credible eyewitness testimony and medical evidence, despite the absence of independent witnesses, affirming the trial court's judgment.
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