Goverdhan vs State Of Chhattisgarh 2025 INSC 47 - Criminal Trial - Reasonable Doubt -

Criminal Trial - “Reasonable doubt”- It means that such doubt must be free from suppositional speculation. It must not be the result of minute emotional detailing, and the doubt must be actual and substantial and not merely vague apprehension. A reasonable doubt is not an imaginary, trivial or a merely possible doubt, but a fair doubt based upon reason and common sense (Para 21) -The concept of reasonable doubt has to be also understood in the Indian context, keeping in mind the social reality and this principle cannot be stretched beyond a reasonable limit to avoid generating a cynical view (Para 23) -The requirement of law in criminal trials is not to prove the case beyond all doubt but beyond reasonable doubt and such doubt cannot be imaginary, fanciful, trivial or merely a possible doubt but a fair doubt based on reason and common sense. (Para 26)

Criminal Trial - Non recovery of the weapon of crime is not fatal to the prosecution case and is not sine qua non for conviction, if there are direct reliable witnesses. (Para 70) the testimony of the police personnel involved in recovery of articles need not be disbelieved and testimony of police personnel is to be treated similarly as testimony of any other witness. (Para 71) Merely because the witnesses turn hostile does not necessarily mean that their evidence has to be thrown out entirely and what is supportive of the prosecution certainly be used. (Para 76)

Constitution of India - Article 136 -Unless the findings are perverse and rendered in ignorance of material evidence, this Court should be slow in interfering with concurring findings. (Para 2)