SARWAN SINGH vs THE STATE OF PUNJAB(with connected appeal)

The Supreme Court set aside the conviction of the appellants for murder under Section 302 IPC, finding that the evidence of the approver was unreliable and inconsistent with his confession. The Court emphasized that the Magistrate must ensure compliance with Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, particularly that the accused is given adequate time to consider making a confession, typically at least 24 hours. The Court established that both reliability and corroboration of an approver's evidence are essential for conviction.