Suspicion cannot replace a complete chain

The prosecution relied on the body’s discovery, recoveries and alleged statements. Those matters raised suspicion but were not established as reliable links to the crime. The Court assessed their cumulative effect. It found no proved circumstance establishing a hypothesis of guilt. The chain remained incomplete and did not exclude reasonable hypotheses of innocence. Evidentiary gaps were material to the assessment. A court cannot fill missing links with an overall impression. The convictions were therefore set aside. (Bernard Lyngdoh Phawa v. The State of Meghalaya | 2026 INSC 85)