Ratnu Yadav vs The State Of Chhattisgarh

The Supreme Court upheld the conviction of the appellant under Section 302 IPC for the murder of his stepmother, Smt Hemwati Bai, emphasizing that the prosecution established the guilt beyond reasonable doubt through the testimonies of witnesses PW-1 and PW-5. The Court clarified that evidence from a hostile witness can still be partially relied upon, and the circumstances of the case, including the last-seen theory, supported the finding of homicidal death. The appeal against the High Court's dismissal was therefore rejected, affirming the life imprisonment sentence.