BHAGWAN DAS vs THE STATE OF RAJASTHAN

The Supreme Court held that the High Court should not set aside an acquittal unless there are 'substantial and compelling' reasons, as established in Surajpal Singh v. State and Ajmer Singh v. The State of Punjab. The Court emphasized that expert evidence cannot be discredited merely by reference to textbooks without confronting the expert with the specific passages. The appeal was allowed, and the Supreme Court set aside the conviction under Section 302 IPC, holding that the evidence did not warrant a conviction as no tribunal could legitimately infer guilt from it.