'Significant Gaps In Evidence': Supreme Court Acquits Man Accused Of Rape, Murder & Robbery Of 85-Year-Old Woman

The Supreme Court acquitted a man convicted of raping, murdering, and robbing an 85-year-old woman, citing significant gaps and inconsistencies in the prosecution’s evidence. The Court noted contradictions between witnesses, absence of credible forensic linkage, and an incomplete chain of events. Holding that conviction requires proof beyond reasonable doubt, it observed that suspicion, however strong, cannot substitute evidence. The judgment emphasized the duty of courts to scrutinize circumstantial evidence rigorously and to ensure that every link in the chain of circumstances is proven. The ruling reinforces the principle that the benefit of doubt must go to the accused where evidence is unreliable or incomplete, thereby upholding the sanctity of fair trial under Article 21.