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Sangili alias Sanganathan v. State of Tamil Nadu

Criminal Appeal · Neutral citation not assigned (Criminal Appeal No. 639 of 2011)Decided 10 Sept 2014
Criminal Appeal No. 639 of 2011
Justice J. Chelameswar · Justice A.K. Sikri

Background

A schoolboy disappeared after a telephone call and was later found dead. Sangili was convicted of murder on a supposed romantic motive, the call and discoveries of the body, bicycle and knives. He challenged the reliability of the evidence connecting him with the crime.

Decision Breakdown

The Supreme Court set aside the conviction and ordered his release unless needed elsewhere. Witnesses relied on to prove motive did not support the prosecution, while the father could neither identify the caller's voice nor establish that Sangili made the call. The recovery witness's identity, movements and account were also inconsistent. With no reliable last-seen evidence and doubtful discoveries, the prosecution had not completed a chain pointing exclusively to his guilt.

Lesson Learnt

A claimed motive and suspicious discoveries do not replace proof. In a case without eyewitnesses, each essential link connecting the accused to the killing must be reliably established.

Official source (sci.gov.in)View Judgment (PDF)

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