Recovery evidence must link the accused to the crime

The prosecution relied on recovery of a rope and possessions said to belong to the deceased. The Court examined whether those recoveries were reliably proved. It found no sufficient connection between the recovered items and the crime. The alleged weapon was not reliably linked to the offence. Recovery of an object alone does not prove that an accused used it to commit a crime. The circumstances of discovery and supporting evidence must be established. Unconnected seizures cannot fill gaps in the prosecution case. The recovery evidence did not reliably incriminate the appellants. (Bernard Lyngdoh Phawa v. The State of Meghalaya | 2026 INSC 85)