CHAMKAUR SINGH vs STATE OF PUNJAB — Crl.A. No. 682/2001

Case Summary: Chamkaur Singh v. State of Punjab (Crl.A. No. 682/2001) The Supreme Court allowed the appeal and set aside the conviction of Chamkaur Singh for murder under Section 302/34 IPC, finding critical procedural irregularities in the investigation. The appellant was not named in the FIR or the complainant's initial statement but was introduced only through a supplementary statement recorded by an unauthorized officer (PW 4) who had neither been assigned the case nor issued a case diary. The Court found fatal contradictions—the FIR described two unknown assailants with detailed descriptions, yet the complainant later claimed his son identified the appellant, creating doubt about the prosecution's credibility. The Court emphasized that introducing a suspect without prima facie evidence violates prosecutorial discipline and ruled the conviction unsustainable beyond reasonable doubt. Outcome: Conviction and sentence set aside; appellant released forthwith unless required in another case. This case analysis is maintained by casestatus.in based on publicly available court records.