Addl. Sessions Judge Hingoli v. Bhawat
Bombay High CourtMANU/MH/0014/2018Bench: J. R.D. Dhanuka, J. Shriram Modak
The Bombay High Court affirmed the acquittal and held that the integrity of forensic evidence is fundamental to a criminal prosecution. Where the chain of custody of forensic samples is broken — evidenced by unsealed packages, discrepancies in labelling, or failure to maintain documentary record of handling — the forensic evidence becomes unreliable and loses its probative value. The prosecution cannot rely on FSL reports where the integrity of the sample is in doubt. This creates a reasonable doubt in favour of the accused.