Crl.A. No. 000612 - 000613 / 2022
In cases resting solely on circumstantial evidence, conviction is warranted only when the incriminating circumstances are fully and cogently established, form a complete chain excluding every hypothesis consistent with innocence, and point unerringly to the guilt of the accused — the standard famously articulated as the "panchsheel" of circumstantial evidence. Furthermore, where identification of accused persons is a foundational circumstance, failure to conduct a Test Identification Parade and absence of in-court identification by eyewitnesses renders the entire prosecution case infirm, as no subsequent forensic or recovery evidence can substitute for this essential link in the chain. As analysed on casestatus.in, the procedural and evidentiary lapses in such cases — including defective proof of recoveries, unproven forensic reports, and violation of fair trial rights — cumulatively warrant acquittal even when concurrent courts below have returned findings of conviction.