Kerala High Court: TIP Not Mandatory; Witness Dock Identification Sufficient

The Kerala High Court held that a Test Identification Parade (TIP) is not mandatory for the admissibility of a witness’s identification.

A Division Bench of Justices A.K. Jayasankaran Nambiar and Jobin Sebastian held that prior acquaintance with the accused or adequate opportunity for observation renders in-court identification sufficient, and that TIP only serves to corroborate evidence; its absence does not affect credibility.

The Court also upheld recoveries under Section 27 of the Evidence Act even without verbatim written statements, noting that officer testimony and subsequent recoveries suffice.

The Court commuted the death sentence of one accused to life imprisonment, while the convictions of both were affirmed.

[[State of Kerala v Anil Kumar @ Kolusu Babu and connected cases]]