Right Of Accused To Lead Defence Evidence Cannot Be Snatched Merely Because He Declined Earlier Under Section 313: Himachal Pradesh High Court

The Himachal Pradesh High Court held that an accused person cannot be deprived of the right to lead defence evidence merely because he earlier declined to do so during examination under Section 313 CrPC. The trial court cannot evaluate merits of a defence at that stage. The judgment safeguards the accused’s fair-trial rights and ensures that procedural steps do not inadvertently curtail substantive defence rights, preserving the integrity of adversarial proceedings.