SURENDRA MAHTO vs STATE OF BIHAR

The Supreme Court upheld the conviction of the appellant under Section 302 IPC for murder and Section 376 IPC for rape, emphasizing the reliability of the dying declaration of the victim, Ranjo Devi. The Court established that the dying declaration, corroborated by eyewitness testimonies, was sufficient to prove the guilt of the accused beyond reasonable doubt. The Court affirmed the lower court's decision, rejecting the appellant's claims of innocence and maintaining that the evidence presented was compelling.