RATANLAL vs STATE OF MADHYA PRADESH

The Supreme Court held that under Section 84 IPC, the burden of proving insanity at the time of the offense lies with the accused, but this burden is not heavier than in civil proceedings. The Court found that the appellant had sufficiently established his mental unsoundness through testimony from relatives and medical evidence, thus overturning the High Court's conviction under Section 435 IPC. The Court emphasized that the time of the offense is crucial for establishing insanity, and the High Court's adverse inference regarding the lack of expert evidence was deemed inappropriate.