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Supreme Court and High Courts judgments on Circumstantial evidence

173 judgments, latest first, from 2018 to 2026. A judgment is listed here when its headnote names this subject: the Supreme Court Reports' own headnote (naming the subject), or an AI-written headnote that was reviewed and approved. A mention in the full text alone does not count.

Lochan Shrivas vs The State of Chhattisgarh
SC · 14 December 2021
[2021] 14 S.C.R. 809 : 2021 INSC 882
Penal Code 1860: ss.363, 366, 376(2)(i), 377, 201, 302 and 376A – Prosecution case was that on the fateful day, the minor daughter of complainant was found missing – They went in search for her but she was not found anyw…
Parubai vs The State of Maharashtra
SC · 10 August 2021
[2021] 8 S.C.R. 135 : 2021 INSC 393
Penal Code, 1860: ss. 302 and 436 – Murder – Fire incident at mid-night wherein house of appellant and her family engulfed in flames – Appellant-second wife came out of the house unscathed, whereas the first wife and her…
Surajdeo Mahto and Anr. vs The State of Bihar
SC · 4 August 2021
[2021] 8 S.C.R. 911 : 2021 INSC 379
Evidence: Circumstantial evidence – Conviction on basis of – Permissibility of – On facts, prosecution case that appellant no. 1 lured the victim out of his house, remained with him all along, on the fourth day joined by…
Mallappa vs State of Karnataka
SC · 7 May 2021
[2021] 5 S.C.R. 1 : 2021 INSC 290
Penal Code, 1860 – s.302 – Murder – Deceased was allegedly assaulted with a club – Prosecution case primarily based on evidence of PW5 (deceased’s wife) – Trial court acquitted accused-appellant as well as the co-accused…
Rahul vs State of Haryana
SC · 3 March 2021
[2021] 2 S.C.R. 499 : 2021 INSC 145
Indian Penal Code, 1860 – s.302 r/w. s.34 – Arms Act, 1959 – s.25(1B)(a) – Prosecution case was that the appellant-accused suspected that his wife was in illicit relation with the victim-deceased – The appellant informed…
Shivaji Chintappa Patil vs State of Maharashtra
SC · 2 March 2021
[2021] 2 S.C.R. 617 : 2021 INSC 136
Penal Code, 1860: s.302 – Conviction based on circumstantial evidence – Prosecution case was that the appellant was addicted to liquor and used to abuse and beat his wife forcing her to get money from her mother – On the…
The State of Odisha vs Banabihari Mohapatra and Anr.
SC · 12 February 2021
[2021] 1 S.C.R. 612 : 2021 INSC 85
THE STATE OF ODISHA v. BANABIHARI MOHAPATRA AND ANR. (Special Leave Petition (Crl.) No. 1156 of 2021) FEBRUARY 12, 2021 [INDIRA BANERJEE AND HEMANT GUPTA, JJ.] Penal Code, 1860: ss.302/201 r/w s.34 – Prosecution case was…
Shatrughna Baban Meshram vs State of Maharashtra
SC · 2 November 2020
[2020] 13 S.C.R. 1 : 2020 INSC 624
Penal Code, 1860 – s.376(1), (2)(f), (i), (m), s.376-A and s.302 – Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act, 2012 – s.6 – Rape and murder of a minor girl – A two-and-a-half-year-old girl was subjected to sexual as…
Anwar Ali and Another vs The State of Himachal Pradesh
SC · 25 September 2020
[2020] 9 S.C.R. 878 : 2020 INSC 563
Penal Code, 1860: ss. 302/34, 392, 201 and 420 – Prosecution under – Circumstantial evidence – Acquittal by trial court in view of contradictions in prosecution case – High Court reversed the acquittal order holding that…
Somasundaram @ Somu vs The State Rep. by the Deputy Commissioner of Police
SC · 3 June 2020
[2020] 10 S.C.R. 27 : 2020 INSC 412
Penal Code, 1860: ss.365 and 302 – Abduction followed by murder in appropriate cases can enable a court to presume that the abductor is the murderer – The principle is that after abduction, the abductor would be in a pos…
Sonu @ Sunil vs State of Madhya Pradesh
SC · 29 May 2020
[2020] 4 S.C.R. 269 : 2020 INSC 409
Penal Code, 1860: ss.394, 460, 302 r/w s.34 – Robbery and murder – Five accused including appellant – Case based on circumstantial evidence – Prosecution case was that the victimdeceased resided alone in his house – On 9…
Manoj Suryavanshi vs State of Chhattisgarh
SC · 5 March 2020
[2020] 4 S.C.R. 1 : 2020 INSC 275
Penal Code, 1860: ss.302, 364 – Murder of three minor children – Case based on circumstantial evidence – Prosecution case was that the complainant lodged missing report of his three minor children aged about 8 years, 6 y…
Shri Satish Kumar & Anr. vs The State of Himachal Pradesh & Anr.
SC · 2 March 2020
[2020] 3 S.C.R. 1144 : 2020 INSC 251
Penal Code, 1860: s.302 r/w s.34 – Prosecution case was that the informant was the daughter of the victim-deceased – As per her statement, the deceased had left in the morning on the fateful day to meet one ‘K’ and there…
Basheera Begam vs Mohammed Ibrahim & Ors.
SC · 31 January 2020
[2020] 3 S.C.R. 562 : 2020 INSC 116
Penal Code, 1860 – s.120B & s.302 r/w s.34 – Case based on circumstantial evidence – Case of prosecution that D2 (son of A4) and D1 (nephew of A3) were friends – Brother of A3 & A4 and uncle of D2, who lived in Malaysia,…
Padum Kumar vs State of Uttar Pradesh
SC · 14 January 2020
[2020] 1 S.C.R. 57 : 2020 INSC 37
Criminal Law – Evidence – Opinion of hand writing expert – Appreciation of – Appellant-accused was working as Postman at the relevant time – On 09.04.92, PW-3 sent registered envelope to the Complainant-PW-1 – Envelope c…
Manju vs State of Delhi
SC · 17 December 2019
[2019] 15 S.C.R. 151 : 2019 INSC 1385
Penal Code, 1860: s.302 – Prosecution under – For killing new-born baby girl by strangulating her – Courts below convicted the accused on the basis of circumstantial evidence – Appeal to Supreme Court – Held: Conviction…
Shailendra Rajdev Pasvan and Others vs State of Gujarat etc.
SC · 13 December 2019
[2019] 14 S.C.R. 270 : 2019 INSC 1363
SHAILENDRA RAJDEV PASVAN AND OTHERS v. STATE OF GUJARAT ETC. (Criminal Appeal Nos. 333-334 of 2017) DECEMBER 13, 2019 [N. V. RAMANA, SANJIV KHANNA AND KRISHNA MURARI, JJ.] Penal Code, 1860 – ss.120-B, 302, 363, 364, 364-…
State of NCT of Delhi vs Shiv Charan Bansal & Ors.
SC · 5 December 2019
[2019] 17 S.C.R. 1155 : 2019 INSC 1321
Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973: s.227 – Appeal by State and complainant against the discharge of accused persons – Prosecution case was that the victim-deceased was murdered in his house – The alleged contract killer c…
Manoharan vs State by Inspector of Police, Variety Hall Police Station, Coimbatore
SC · 7 November 2019
[2019] 18 S.C.R. 1078 : 2019 INSC 1216
Review – In death penalty cases – Application of restrictive principles – Murder – Rape – Co-accused (now deceased) using borrowed school van, picked up a 10-year old girl and her 7-year old brother who were waiting to g…
Ravishankar @ Baba Vishwakarma vs The State of Madhya Pradesh
SC · 3 October 2019
[2019] 14 S.C.R. 285 : 2019 INSC 1116
Sentence/Sentencing: Rape/murder of minor – Conviction based on circumstantial evidence – Imposition of death sentence – Held: There is no absolute principle of law that no death sentence can be awarded in a case where c…
Ravi S/O Ashok Ghumare vs The State of Maharashtra
SC · 3 October 2019
[2019] 15 S.C.R. 712 : 2019 INSC 1114
RAVI S/O ASHOK GHUMARE v. THE STATE OF MAHARASHTRA (Criminal Appeal Nos. 1488-1489 of 2018) OCTOBER 03, 2019 [R. F. NARIMAN, SURYA KANT AND R. SUBHASH REDDY, JJ.] Penal Code, 1860: ss.302, 363, 376 and 377 – Kidnapping,…
Sudam @ Rahul Kaniram Jadhav vs The State of Maharashtra
SC · 1 October 2019
[2019] 14 S.C.R. 943 : 2019 INSC 1107
Review Jurisdiction: Scope of review in criminal proceedings – Held: In criminal proceedings, the scope of review jurisdiction of Supreme Court is guided by Art.137 of the Constitution as well as Or.XL r.10 of the Suprem…
Smt. Gargi vs State of Haryana
SC · 19 September 2019
[2019] 13 S.C.R. 1 : 2019 INSC 1056
Penal Code, 1860 – s.302 – Conviction under – Prosecution case was that appellant had killed her husband by strangulation and with the help of co-accused persons (her brothers), thereafter, hanged the dead body in one of…
Smt. Chintambaramma & Anr. vs State of Karnataka
SC · 22 August 2019
[2019] 12 S.C.R. 946 : 2019 INSC 944
Penal Code, 1860 – s.302 r/w s.34 – Case based on circumstantial evidence – Marriage of ‘S’ was solemnised with one ‘LM’ in 2006 – FIR was lodged in 2009 by CW-1 that ‘S’ has been killed by the appellants (mother-in-law…
Baiju Kumar Soni & Anr. vs State of Jharkhand
SC · 1 August 2019
[2019] 10 S.C.R. 1111 : 2019 INSC 854
Penal Code, 1860: ss. 364A, 201 and 302/34 – Prosecution under – Reliance on circumstantial evidence – Conviction by courts below – Appeal to Supreme Court – Held: In a case based on circumstantial evidence, every circum…
Manoharan vs State by Inspector of Police, Variety Hall Police Station, Coimbatore
SC · 1 August 2019
[2019] 18 S.C.R. 1007 : 2019 INSC 851
Penal Code, 1860 – ss.302, 376 and 201 – Murder – Rape – Co-accused (now deceased) using borrowed school van, picked up a 10-year old girl and her 7-year old brother who were waiting to go to school – He thereafter picke…
Sanjay Rajak vs The State of Bihar
SC · 22 July 2019
[2019] 9 S.C.R. 654 : 2019 INSC 787
SANJAY RAJAK v. THE STATE OF BIHAR (Criminal Appeal No.1070 of 2017) JULY 22, 2019 [ASHOK BHUSHAN AND NAVIN SINHA, JJ.] Penal Code, 1860: s.364(A) – Conviction and rigourous imprisonment for life – Acquittal of co-accuse…
Central Bureau of Investigation & Anr. vs Mohd. Parvez Abdul Kayuum etc.
SC · 5 July 2019
[2019] 8 S.C.R. 439 : 2019 INSC 724
Penal Code, 1860: ss. 120B, 302, 307, 201/120B – ss. 25(1)(B)(a), 27(1) and 5 of Arms Act, 1959 – s. 3(1), (2), (3) and (4) and s.4 of Prevention of Terrorism Act, 2002 (POTA)– Murder and attempt to murder – In two diffe…
Pattu Rajan vs The State of Tamil Nadu
SC · 29 March 2019
[2019] 5 S.C.R. 535 : 2019 INSC 420
Penal Code, 1860: s.302 – Abduction and murder of husband of complainant (PW1) – Prosecution case was that accused no.1 wanted to take PW1 as his third wife knowing that she was already married to victim-deceased and mad…
Digamber Vaishnav & Anr. vs State of Chhattisgarh
SC · 5 March 2019
[2019] 2 S.C.R. 844 : 2019 INSC 308
Penal Code, 1860: ss. 302/34 and 394/34 – Murder and Robbery – Prosecution for – Based on circumstantial evidence – Prosecution relied on testimony of child witness; recoveries made u/s. 27 of Evidence Act; fingerprint r…

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