Mehtab v. State of Uttarakhand 2026 INSC 578 - Gang Rape Case - Accused Acquitted - Death Sentence Set Aside

Criminal Trial - Circumstantial Evidence - In a case resting entirely on circumstantial evidence, each incriminating circumstance must be firmly proved, and the chain of circumstances must be so complete as to unerringly point towards the guilt of the accused and rule out every hypothesis consistent with innocence. (Para 40-41.90) [Context: The Supreme Court allowed the appeals of accused setting aside their convictions for murder and gang rape and the death sentences in a case based solely on circumstantial evidence related to the rape and killing of Munni Devi in a forest near Dehradun. ]

Criminal Trial - Evidence - Forensic Samples - I the absence of a duly proved chain of custody, the sanctity and integrity of the forensic samples become doubtful and, consequently, the scientific reports based thereon lose their evidentiary value.

Criminal Trial - Evidence - Even if the FSL report establishes that the blood group detected on the article recovered at the instance of the accused matches that of the deceased, such circumstance in isolation is not sufficient to link the accused with the crime. Mere recovery of a bloodstained article, in absence of reliable evidence connecting the same with the commission of the offence, cannot constitute a determinative incriminating circumstance against the accused. (Para 84)