In a significant ruling on Thursday, the Supreme Court of India acquitted Vishwajeet Kerba Masalkar, a man previously sentenced to death for the alleged murder of his family members, including a young daughter. The top court’s decision highlights the principle that suspicion alone cannot serve as the basis for conviction.
Justices B.R. Gavai, Prashant Kumar Mishra, and K.V. Viswanathan presided over the bench that overturned the earlier verdicts of the trial court and the Bombay High Court. The justices emphasized that an accused must be presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, a cornerstone of the justice system.
The case against Masalkar was significantly weakened by the testimony of a neighbor who claimed to have observed frequent disputes within the family. However, the Supreme Court noted that this testimony was recorded with a delay of six days following the incident and lacked corroboration from other witnesses. Moreover, the neighbor could not conclusively testify to having witnessed the murders.
Further doubts were raised regarding the recovery of the alleged murder weapon—a hammer. The justices questioned the credibility of the recovery process, noting the improbability of the hammer remaining undiscovered in a canal stream for three days.
The apex court also dismissed the motive suggested by the prosecution, which claimed Masalkar had committed the murders following his family’s objection to his plans to remarry. This narrative was supported only by weak circumstantial evidence, according to the court.
