India, Oct. 14 -- The Supreme Court has set aside the life sentence of a tribal man from Chhattisgarh convicted of murder after finding that the trial court recorded the testimony of key prosecution witnesses without his presence, and held the lapse vitiated the entire trial for violating a mandatory procedural safeguard.

Coming to the rescue of Munna Mandavi, who has spent nine years in custody, a bench of justices Satish Chandra Sharma and Nongmeikapam Kotiswar Singh ordered a fresh trial, directing the trial court to examine all witnesses afresh in his presence. The court also ordered his immediate release on bail, subject to conditions imposed by the trial court.

The bench underscored that the prosecution could not escape its respon...