Minor Contradictions Can Not Be A Ground To Discredit Witnesses’ Testimony In Criminal Trial, Reiterates Supreme Court

The Supreme Court reiterated that minor contradictions can not be a ground to discredit the testimony of the witnesses in a criminal trial. The court was considering an appeal filed by the accused who were convicted for the offences under Section 302 read with 34, IPC and Section 135(1) of the Bombay Police Act. In appeal, one of the contentions raised by the accused was that there are major contradictions in the deposition of two prosecution witnesses. “The contradictions which are sought to be projected are minor contradictions which cannot be the basis to discard their evidence… If the entire evidence of all the witnesses is examined with reference to medical and other evidence on record, it is clear that the prosecution has proved the guilt of the accused beyond reasonable doubt”, the bench comprising Justices Ashok Bhushan and R. Subhash Reddy observed while dismissing this contention.