Supreme Court acquits four murder convicts, citing inability to identify accused in pitch-dark night
The case involves four appellants convicted for murder under Sections 302/149 IPC, challenging their conviction based on unreliable eyewitness testimony and lack of motive, with the High Court upholding the conviction on circumstantial evidence.
Appellants: Kartika @ Kirtan @ Kirtan Charan Jena & Anr. (four remaining appellants after two died); Respondent: State of Odisha; Bench: Justice Prasanna B. Varale
- Acquitted four murder convicts
- Rejected eyewitness testimony due to inability to identify accused in pitch-dark night
- Held prosecution failed to establish authorship of crime
- Upheld High Court's finding that eyewitnesses could not identify accused in dark night
- No separate sentence for Sections 148/506/149 IPC as life imprisonment was awarded for main offence
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Document details
| Official title | Supreme Court Acquits 4 Murder Convicts, Says Eyewitnesses Couldn't Have Identified Accused On Pitch-Dark Night |
| Source body | Supreme Court of India — orders & judgments |
| Reference number | — |
| Status | closed (order) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Closing date | — |
| Documents | 1 |