Supreme Court: Confessional FIR Inadmissible Without Corroboration And Valid Discovery

The Supreme Court set aside the conviction of Narayan Yadav, holding that his confessional FIR was inadmissible under Section 25 of the Evidence Act.

The bench of Justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan ruled that without any discovery under Section 27 or conclusive medical evidence, the conviction could not be sustained.

The Court criticized the High Court for relying on the FIR's confessional parts and reiterated that expert medical testimony alone cannot establish guilt. With most panch witnesses turning hostile and the Investigating Officer failing to prove panchnamas, the appeal was allowed.

[Narayan Yadav v State of Chhattisgarh]