Supreme Court Judgment Summary: Mehtab vs State of Uttarakhand (2026)
Hello readers! Aaj hum apne legal blog par ek bahut hi important Supreme Court case ke baare mein baat karenge—Mehtab vs The State Of Uttarakhand, jiska final faisla 27 May 2026 ko sunaya gaya. Yeh case law students, legal professionals aur aam janta ke liye ek perfect example hai ki kaise ek weak police investigation aur "circumstantial evidence" (haalaat ke saboot) ki unlinked chain kisi criminal case ko puri tarah palat sakti hai.
Chaliye is case ke facts, loopholes aur Supreme Court ke final verdict ko detail mein samajhte hain.
📅 Case Background: Kya Hua Tha 29 December 2012 Ko?
* 29 December 2012 ki dopahar kareeb 2:00 baje, Munni Devi (ek 55 saal ki bujurg mahila) apni bakriyan charane ke liye jungle gayi thi.
* Dopahar 3:00 baje ke aas-paas, ghas kaat rahi teen ladkiyon se do anjaan ladkon ne aakar ek "Pahadan" aurat ke baare mein pucha, jo bakriyon ke sath wahan aayi thi.
* Jab shaam 5:00 baje tak Munni Devi ghar nahi lauti aur bakriyan akele wapas aa gayi, toh unke bete aur relatives ne unki talash shuru ki.
* Raat kareeb 8:00 baje, Munni Devi ki dead body jhadiyon mein ek water channel ke paas mili.
* Unki body par bite marks the jisse police ne Section 302 (Murder) aur Section 376 (Rape) ke under unknown persons ke khilaf case darj kiya.
⚖️ Lower Courts Ka Faisla (Trial & High Court)
Police ne investigation ke baad do ladkon—*Mehtab aur Sushil @ Bhura ko arrest kiya.
Trial Court ne 23 January 2014 ko in dono ko murder (Section 302 IPC) aur gang rape (Section 376(2)(g) IPC) ke liye guilty mana aur Death Sentence (Phansi ki saza)* sunayi.
* Baad mein, Uttarakhand High Court ne bhi 27 April 2018 ko is death sentence ko confirm kar diya.
🔍 Supreme Court Mein Twist: Defense Ke Arguments
Jab yeh mamla Supreme Court (Criminal Appeal Nos. 1342-1343 of 2018) mein Justice Vikram Nath, Justice Sandeep Mehta aur Justice Vijay Bishnoi ki bench ke samne pahuncha, toh defense counsel ne police ki theory ki dhajjiyaan uda di. Case mein kai major loopholes the:
* Sketches Aur Fake Identification: Police ne claim kiya ki unhone chashmadeed gawaho ke bataye hue huliye par suspects ke sketches banwaye the. Lekin Court mein pata chala ki sketch par kisi gawah ke signature hi nahi the. Arrest ke baad Test Identification Parade (TIP) bhi conduct nahi karwayi gayi jo ki strangers ke case mein mandatory hoti hai.
* Planted Evidence: Police ne bataya tha ki crime scene se Mehtab ki shirt ka ek phata hua pocket mila tha. Lekin Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) expert ne Court mein yeh admit kiya ki pocket kisi jhagde (scuffle) mein nahi phata tha, balki uski dono side ki silai (stitching) bilkul intact thi—iska matlab use carefully khol kar nikala gaya tha. Supreme Court ne is evidence ko "planted" mana.
* Medical Impossibility: Prosecution ka kehna tha ki motive rape tha. Lekin Mehtab ka medical checkup karne wale doctor ne statement diya ki Mehtab ek medical condition se suffer kar raha tha, jiski wajah se uske liye sexual intercourse karna possible hi nahi tha.
* Chain of Custody: Seized items ko forensic lab bhejne mein unexplained delay tha, aur seizure memos par accused/witnesses ke thumb impressions aur dates gayab the. Identity establish karne ke liye koi DNA profiling bhi nahi ki gayi thi.
🏛️ Supreme Court Ka Final Verdict
Supreme Court ne in saare points ko observe karte hue bahut hi strict rule establish kiya:
Agar case circumstantial evidence (haalaat ke saboot) par tika hai, toh ek unbroken aur complete chain honi chahiye jo sirf accused ke guilt ki taraf ishara kare. Is case mein prosecution ki "last seen together" theory aur chain of circumstances puri tarah se unproven reh gayi.
Conclusion: Supreme Court ne Trial Court aur High Court ke judgments ko completely set aside (kharij) kar diya. Dono accused, Mehtab aur Sushil @ Bhura, ko saare charges se baizzat bari (acquitted) kar diya gaya aur unhe fauran jail se riha karne ke orders diye gaye.
Aise hi aur Supreme Court judgments aur legal analysis aasaan bhasha mein padhne ke liye My Law Suvidha ke sath jude rahein.
