News Citation : 2026 LN (HC) 19
Bilaspur, 07 January 2026 : The High Court of Chhattisgarh has overturned the conviction of two men previously sentenced to life imprisonment for a 2011 acid attack that resulted in the death of a local shopkeeper. Justices Rajani Dubey and Amitendra Kishore Prasad delivered the judgment on January 7, 2026, concluding that the prosecution failed to establish a complete and unbroken chain of circumstantial evidence required to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
The case dates back to the evening of May 9, 2011, when Krishna Bareth was attacked at his betel shop in Raigarh. According to eyewitness accounts, two unknown individuals arrived on a motorcycle with their faces covered and threw a corrosive substance on him before fleeing the scene. Krishna Bareth suffered severe burns to his face, neck, and torso; he survived for over a month in specialized care but ultimately succumbed to his injuries on June 13, 2011.
Following an investigation, the police arrested Sheetal Bareth and Sunil Bareth, alleging that Sheetal had orchestrated the attack because he was in love with Krishna’s fiancée, Madhu Bareth. In 2014, a trial court in Raigarh found the duo guilty of murder and destruction of evidence, sentencing them to life imprisonment.
However, the High Court’s review revealed several critical lapses in the prosecution’s narrative. Central to the acquittal was the testimony of the fiancée herself. Madhu Bareth categorically denied having any relationship or even an acquaintance with the appellant, Sheetal Bareth, effectively demolishing the prosecution’s proposed motive for the crime. Furthermore, the court noted that despite Krishna surviving for five weeks after the attack, no dying declaration was ever recorded by the police or medical authorities.
The bench also expressed skepticism regarding the identification of the accused. Since the attackers wore masks at the scene, the court found the subsequent test identification parade to be of “extremely weak” evidentiary value. Additionally, the only physical evidence recovered was a motorcycle; no acid containers or other incriminating materials were found that could directly link the appellants to the assault.
Concluding that the trial court’s conviction relied more on “presumptions and conjectures” than on legally admissible evidence, the High Court set aside the 2014 judgment. The court ordered the immediate acquittal of Sheetal and Sunil Bareth, extending to them the benefit of the doubt and directing the release of their personal bonds after a six-month period.
Case Details : CRA No. 753 of 2014, Sheetal Bareth & Another v. State of Chhattisgarh; Counsel for Appellants: Mrs. Indira Tripathi, Advocate; Counsel for Respondent/State: Mr. Vivek Mishra, Public Prosecutor.
