Topic
Supreme Court refuses to interfere with concurrent acquittal in a murder trial, reaffirming that where two reasonable views are possible, the view favouring the accused must prevail. The judgment underscores the limited scope of Article 136 intervention in cases marred by ocular-medical evidence mismatches and hostile witnesses.
The Supreme Court ruled that customary law, particularly agnatic succession among Oraon tribes, must be strictly proved under Section 48 of the Evidence Act. The judgment sets aside concurrent lower court findings, reinforcing that daughters have no inheritance rights under the custom and the nearest male agnate inherits in the absence of direct heirs. This ruling clarifies the burden of proof in tribal property disputes and limits appellate interference under Article 136.
The Himachal Pradesh High Court ruled that the Supreme Court's pandemic-related limitation extension applies exclusively to cases where the limitation period expired between 15.03.2020 and 28.02.2022. Execution petitions filed beyond the prescribed 12-year period under Article 136 of the Limitation Act remain barred if the limitation period did not expire during the exclusion window, reinforcing strict adherence to statutory timelines.