Appellate interference order acquittal imperative high court adopts perverse approach misappreciates material evidence

An appellate court exercising powers under Article 136 of the Constitution or Section 378 CrPC is justified in setting aside an order of acquittal and restoring a conviction where the High Court adopted a legally erroneous process of reasoning, misread material evidence, or ignored vital facts resulting in a grave miscarriage of justice. While appellate courts are cautious in disturbing acquittals, interference becomes imperative when the lower court discarded unassailable, direct, and independent evidence on speculative, hyper-technical, or unrealistic grounds. Hyper-technical objections regarding non-recording in exact question-answer formats or the presence of supervising officers cannot justify rejecting trustworthy prosecution evidence. (State of Himachal Pradesh v. Chaman Lal | 2026 INSC 57)