Jodhpur, Aug. 21 -- The Rajasthan high court has set aside the life imprisonment awarded in a 1988 Chittorgarh murder case and acquitted three surviving appellants-Surendra Singh, Virendra Singh and Dadam Chand-after finding serious contradictions in witness testimony, absence of motive, and no forensic or medical link between alleged weapons and the injuries. The division bench of justice Pushpendra Singh Bhati and justice Bipin Gupta reserved judgment on August 11 and pronounced it on Wednesday. Allowing criminal appeal, the bench held that the trial court's conviction under Sections 302/34, 325/34, 323 and 447 of the IPC could not be sustained, noting that independent witnesses had turned hostile, alleged "dharia" injuries were not supported by medical reports (which showed only blunt-force injuries), no dharia was ever recovered, and recovered lathis bore no bloodstains nor were they sent for FSL analysis. The court said: "In the absence of proof attributing the infliction of injury to any individual or individuals, a conviction of all the accused merely by invoking Section 34 IPC cannot be allowed to stand, as the prosecution has completely failed to prove the guilt of the accused beyond reasonable doubt-either by the statements of the witnesses, or corroboration by medical evidence, or through forensic (FSL) reports." Consequently, the conviction and sentences were quashed and the three appellants were acquitted. As they were already on bail, their bail bonds were discharged. The prosecution alleged that on February 13, 1986, the appellants and others attacked members of a family in an agricultural field, leading to the death of Ramlal. The high court, however, found the testimonial inconsistencies, lack of medical support for sharp-weapon injuries, and missing forensic linkage fatal to the state's case. The appeal stemmed from a February 11, 1988 judgment of the additional sessions judge, Chittorgarh, which had sentenced the four original accused to life imprisonment for murder alongside lesser terms for other offences. During the pendency of the appeal, one appellant, Babulal, died in 2020 and the case abated against him; the matter thus survived against the remaining three....