Overview

• Justices Vikram Nath, Sanjay Karol and Sandeep Mehta set aside the conviction and death sentence, directing release if he is not wanted in any other case.
• The bench said prosecutors failed to prove key circumstances, rejecting last-seen testimony as concocted and noting that primary CCTV footage was never placed on record.
• The court found the trial lopsided, citing absence of defence counsel at the framing of charges, delayed supply of documents and improper admission of confessional material.
• It held that disclosure-based recoveries were contrived and that DNA and forensic reports did not conclusively link the accused to the crime.
• The judgment criticized the same-day imposition of the death penalty without a mitigation report or psychological evaluation and aligns with heightened scrutiny of evidence in capital cases.