HAMZA vs MUHAMMADKUTTY @ MANI . — Crl.A. No. 268/2007

Summary The Supreme Court dismissed two criminal appeals challenging the Kerala High Court's acquittal of Muhammadkutty and Hamsappa for the 1998 murder of Suhara. The trial court had convicted both accused based solely on the uncorroborated testimony of Suhara's 7-year-old son (PW-1), but the High Court set aside the conviction, finding the child witness's evidence unreliable and inconsistent, and that medical evidence could not rule out suicide. The Supreme Court upheld the acquittal, holding the High Court's view reasonable and that child witness evidence required adequate corroboration, which was absent here. This case analysis is maintained by casestatus.in based on publicly available court records.