Supreme Court upholds murder acquittal, finds witnesses were set up

The core issue is whether the prosecution proved the guilt of the accused beyond reasonable doubt, specifically regarding the reliability of witnesses and the interpretation of forensic evidence.

Who it concerns: Appellant: The State of Himachal Pradesh; Respondent: Anchla (alias Chanchla); Bench: Justice Manoj Misra.

What the court decided

• The Supreme Court upheld the High Court's judgment dated 28.07.2014.
• The High Court's acquittal of the respondent-accused was maintained.
• The conviction and sentence passed by the Trial Court under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code were not restored.

Also in the document

• The High Court found that the motive for the crime (property bequest) was not proved.
• The High Court deemed the testimony of PW-1 unreliable due to inconsistencies in previous statements and a delay in reporting the missing persons.
• The High Court noted that the DNA match was not conclusive because the accused's presence at the scene was not proved beyond doubt and her blood sample had been collected by the police.
• The High Court found the testimony of the taxi driver (PW-4) and hotel worker (PW-18) doubtful due to lack of supporting records and logical inconsistencies.