Delhi's Dwarka Court recently acquitted a man of charges related to dowry death, citing benefits of the doubt. There is a long distance between "may be true" and "must be true", the court said in the judgement. Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) Sharad Gupta acquitted the accused, Satender Gautam, of offences under Section 498A IPC (cruelty for dowry) and Section 304B IPC (dowry death). The court concluded that the prosecution failed to prove its case against accused Satender Gautam by leading convincing or cogent evidence.

"Prosecution case may be true but criminal jurisprudence says that prosecution case must be true. There is a long distance between "may be true" and "must be true," the court said."It is a cardinal princ iple of criminal jurisprudence that an accused is presumed to be innocent. The burden lies on the prosecution to prove the guilt of the accused beyond reasonable doubt. The prosecution is under a legal obligation to prove each and every ingredient of offence beyond any doubt, unless otherwise so provided by any statute. This general burden never shifts, it always rests on the prosecution," ASJ Gupta said in the judgement passed on July 29.