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The Delhi High Court acquitted three accused, holding the prosecution failed to prove the five-person assembly required under Sections 399/402 IPC. It also deemed the police’s contradictory testimony and the alleged overheard conversation implausible, rendering the evidence inadmissible.
The Allahabad High Court acquitted appellants under Sections 399 and 402 IPC, holding that assembling armed near a target location, even with suspicious behavior, cannot substitute for evidence of shared criminal intent to commit dacoity. This ruling reinforces that prosecution must prove mens rea beyond reasonable doubt - a vital safeguard for individuals caught in circumstantial proximity to crime.
Allahabad HC ruled that mere assembly of suspects, without proof of overt acts or recovery of weapons indicating preparation for dacoity, fails to meet the threshold of Sections 399 and 402 IPC. The acquittal underscores the prosecution's burden to establish concrete evidence of criminal intent beyond reasonable doubt, impacting future dacoity cases relying on circumstantial evidence.
Allahabad High Court rules that conviction under Sections 399/402 IPC for dacoity requires participation of five or more persons. The court quashed the conviction where only three accused were arrested, reinforcing the statutory threshold for the offence. The Arms Act conviction was upheld but substituted with probation.