The Supreme Court on Tuesday set aside a Punjab and Haryana High Court judgment that had acquitted a man convicted of murdering his wife, holding that the High Court’s reasoning was “cryptic” and legally insufficient. The top court remanded the matter back for a fresh hearing, stressing that an acquittal cannot rest on assumptions without proper analysis.
The case arose from a violent domestic incident dating back more than two decades.
Background of the Case
The prosecution case traces its origin to July 13, 2001, when an FIR was registered at Sri Hargobindpur police station in Punjab. According to the prosecution, Sarabjit Singh was found attacking his wife with a dattar (a sharp agricultural implement). The injuries proved fatal.
In May 2003, the Sessions Court at Gurdaspur found Singh guilty of murder under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code. He was sentenced to life imprisonment and fined ₹2,000.
Challenging this conviction, Singh approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court. In January 2019, the High Court allowed his appeal and acquitted him, setting aside both the conviction and sentence.
Aggrieved by this acquittal, the State of Punjab moved the Supreme Court.
What the State Argued
Appearing for the State, counsel argued that the High Court had overturned a well-reasoned trial court judgment without identifying any serious flaw in the prosecution’s evidence.
The State submitted that the Sessions Court had convicted the accused after appreciating the evidence beyond reasonable doubt. It was argued that the High Court failed to give convincing reasons for discarding that finding.
Alternatively, the State urged that if the Supreme Court was not inclined to restore the conviction directly, the matter should at least be remanded for a proper rehearing.
Defence Stand
The amicus curiae appointed for the accused defended the High Court’s verdict. He pointed to portions of the High Court judgment which, according to him, justified the acquittal and showed that the prosecution version was not free from doubt.
He maintained that the High Court had taken a plausible view and that the Supreme Court should not interfere.
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Court’s Observations
After examining both judgments closely, the Supreme Court found substance in the State’s alternate argument.
The bench noted that the High Court judgment primarily recounted facts and witness statements but did not explain why the evidence was insufficient to sustain a conviction.
“The reasons assigned for acquittal, prima facie, are not correct as they are based on assumptions and presumptions,” the bench observed.
It further underlined that merely summarising depositions, without analysing credibility or legal impact, cannot justify reversing a trial court’s conviction.
“A discussion of facts in the absence of clear reasoning cannot convert a judgment of conviction into one of acquittal,” the court said.
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Decision of the Supreme Court
On this limited but decisive ground, the Supreme Court set aside the High Court’s January 2019 judgment.
The appeal filed by the State of Punjab was allowed, and the criminal appeal was remanded to the Punjab and Haryana High Court for a fresh hearing on merits, in accordance with law.
Since the accused had been acquitted by the now-set-aside judgment, the Supreme Court directed that he be produced before the concerned Sessions Court to execute bail bonds, subject to conditions imposed by that court.
Importantly, the bench clarified that it had made no observations on the merits of the murder charge itself.
The judgment was delivered by a bench of Supreme Court of India, comprising Justice B.V. Nagarathna and Justice Manmohan.
Case Title: State of Punjab v. Sarabjit Singh
Case No.: Criminal Appeal No. 1781 of 2019
Decision Date: 28 January 2026
