Overview
- On August 22, a bench of Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandran set aside the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s October 1 and November 5, 2024 judgments and sent the appeals back for a fresh hearing.
- The Supreme Court recorded that despite strenuous efforts it could not follow the reasoning in the impugned orders reversing a trial court acquittal.
- Counsel for both the appellants and the complainant told the court they were unable to appreciate the High Court’s reasoning, while Haryana’s counsel defended the judgments as well reasoned.
- CJI Gavai remarked that every ruling by Justice Sureshwar Thakur that reached the Supreme Court had been overturned, noting the judge retired on May 17, 2025.
- The remanded case stems from High Court decisions that convicted accused including Raj Kumar and imposed life sentences, and follows earlier Supreme Court difficulty with another Thakur ruling on the National Highways Act.