New Delhi, Apr 12: In a significant ruling, the Supreme Court emphasized that appellate courts cannot overturn acquittals merely because another interpretation is conceivable. Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan, in their verdict, stressed that interference with an acquittal requires a finding of perversity in the lower court’s judgment.
“The appellate court cannot overturn the order of acquittal only on the ground that another view is possible. In other words, the judgment of acquittal must be found to be perverse. Unless the appellate court records such a finding, no interference can be made with the order of acquittal,” stated the bench.
The apex court made these remarks while deciding an appeal in a murder case, where the high court had reversed the trial court’s acquittal. Justice Oka, writing for the bench, emphasized that appellate courts must reassess the evidence and determine if the trial court’s view was plausible based on the available evidence.
“The appellate court can interfere with the order of acquittal only if it is satisfied after re-appreciating the evidence that the only possible conclusion was that the guilt of the accused had been established beyond a reasonable doubt,” the bench clarified.
Critically, the court highlighted that the presumption of innocence further strengthens in cases of acquittal. However, the high court failed to address this principle adequately in its judgment. Moreover, the bench pointed out errors in the high court’s assessment of burden of proof, stating that the burden lies with the prosecution to prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
Consequently, the Supreme Court set aside the high court’s verdict and reinstated the trial court’s acquittal, emphasizing that the findings of the trial court were justifiable upon re-evaluation of evidence.
The case involves a father-son duo prosecuted for the murder of Punjabhai in Gujarat in 1996. The defendants were accused of assaulting Punjabhai with pipes and sticks, resulting in his death. Following the incident, the trial court acquitted the defendants in 1997, a decision now restored by the Supreme Court.
