Dying statement alone no ground for conviction, says Chhattisgarh high court, frees man | India News

RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh HC has set aside a trial court’s conviction of a man of arson, murder, and offences under the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act, noting that it would be “unsafe” to base a conviction on a dying statement alone, reports Partha Behera.
A division bench, comprising Chief Justice Ramesh Sinha and Justice Ravindra Kumar Agrawal, pointed to a “grave legal error” in the lower court’s reliance on a dying declaration and the testimony of injured witnesses, stating that the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.
The case dates to May 2018, when Mona Singh died in a house fire. A special SC/ST court sentenced her brother Arjun to life in 2020 based on her dying declaration and witness statements. HC found inconsistencies, including no certification of Mona’s mental state and lack of corroborative evidence.
HC acquitted Arjun of all charges, ordered his release, and directed him to furnish a bond with sureties for a possible SC appeal.