The Supreme Court of India set aside the conviction of four individuals in a 1998 gang rape case, observing that the prosecution failed to establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt.

The decision was delivered by a bench comprising Justice Pankaj Mithal and Justice Prasanna B. Varale.

The Court noted that the prosecution’s case suffered from serious evidentiary shortcomings, particularly the absence of medical evidence supporting the allegation of rape and an unexplained delay of nearly three months in lodging the complaint.

The bench also observed that the prosecution relied heavily on the complainant’s testimony, which contained certain inconsistencies and lacked corroboration from independent evidence.

Reiterating the cardinal principle of criminal jurisprudence that the burden of proof lies on the prosecution, the Court held that conviction cannot be sustained when the evidence fails to meet the standard of proof required in criminal trials.

Accordingly, the Court allowed the appeal and set aside the conviction and sentence imposed on the accused persons.