Trial courts could be swayed if confessions that should not be allowed are included in the statements of prosecution witnesses, according to the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court noted that Trial Courts might be swayed if they consider inadmissible confessions made by an accused to a police officer as part of the prosecution’s witness statements. The Court overturned the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s ruling and acquitted the Appellant, who had been found guilty of serious crimes under Sections 364, 302, 201, 212, and 120-B of the IPC. Despite the case involving a “brutal murder,” the Court emphasized that a conviction requires proof of guilt beyond a reasonable doubt based on legally acceptable evidence, as there cannot be a “moral conviction.” Justices Abhay S. Oka, Ahsanuddin Amanullah, and Augustine George Masih remarked that the trial judge should not have included an inadmissible confession in the testimony. A confession made to a police officer while in custody is not valid as evidence, except under certain conditions outlined in Section 27. If such confessions are included in witness statements, it could unduly influence the Trial Courts.

Senior Advocate Vinay Navare represented the Appellants, while AOR Samar Vijay Singh represented the Respondents. According to the prosecution, the victim left home in a car to visit his sister but was reportedly kidnapped by unknown individuals. After a failed search, the complainant filed an FIR. Later, parts of the victim’s body were found in a canal. The prosecution used CCTV footage from a bank and the recovery of a vehicle and weapon linked to the crime to support their case against the Appellant.

Cause Title: Randeep Singh @ Rana & Anr. v. State Of Haryana & Ors. (Neutral Citation: 2024 INSC 887)
Appearance:
Appellants: Senior Advocate Vinay Navare; Advocates Arpit Rai, Tushima, Ankit Ahluwalia and Prabhsharan Singh Mohi; AOR Aviral Kashyap
Respondents: AOR Samar Vijay Singh; Advocates Amit Ojha, Vikas Singh Jangra, Pawan Kishore Singh, Bhakti Vardhan Singh, Sabarni Som, Fateh Singh, Azeem A Dsot and Kanika