State of Madhya Pradesh vs. Dal Singh & Ors, Criminal Appeal No. 2303 of 2009, Decided on
May 21, 2013
The Hon’ble
Supreme Court held that:
‘It is a settled legal
proposition that in exceptional circumstances, the appellate court for
compelling reasons should not hesitate to reverse a judgment of acquittal
passed by the court below, if the findings so recorded by the court below are
found to be perverse, i.e. if the conclusions arrived at by the court below are
contrary to the evidence on record, or if the court’s entire approach with
respect to dealing with the evidence is found to be patently illegal, leading
to the miscarriage of justice, or if its judgment is unreasonable and is based
on an erroneous understanding of the law and of the facts of the case. While
doing so, the appellate court must bear in mind the presumption of innocence in
favour of the accused, and also that an acquittal by the court below bolsters
such presumption of innocence.’ [Para 6]
The Court noted
following case laws:
Abrar v. State
of U.P., AIR 2011 SC 354;
Rukia Begum v.
State of Karnataka, AIR 2011 SC 1585
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