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Tulasareddi @ Mudakappa & Anr. v. The State of Karnataka & Ors.

Not available · 2026 INSC 67Decided 16 Jan 2026
Not available
Justice Sanjay Karol · Justice Vipul M. Pancholi

Background

A man went missing after a family land dispute; the Trial Court acquitted all six accused in 2019 for weak, uncorroborated evidence, but the Karnataka High Court reversed and convicted four, sentencing them to life.

Decision Breakdown

The Supreme Court found the sole "eyewitness" unreliable (silent for 21 days, no personal knowledge of the accused, a criminal record, contradictory statements) and medical evidence undercut the prosecution's timeline. Since an appellate court cannot overturn an acquittal merely because another view is possible, the Trial Court's acquittal was restored.

Lesson Learnt

A conviction cannot rest on a single unreliable witness and speculative motive; appellate courts must show a trial court's acquittal was clearly unreasonable, not just debatable, before overturning it.

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

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