1956 SC 217, Balbir Singh Vs State of
Punjab, AIR 1957 SC 216, M.G. Agrawal Vs
State of Maharashtra, AIR 1963 SC 200, Noor
Khan Vs State of Rajasthan, AIR 1964 SC
286, Khedu Mohton Vs State of Bihar, (1970)
2 SCC 450, Shivaji Sahabrao Bobade Vs State
of Maharashtra, (1973) 2 SCC 793, Lekha
Yadav Vs State of Bihar, (1973) 2 SCC 424,
Khem Karan Vs State of U.P., (1974) 4 SCC
603, Bisan Singh Vs State of Punjab, (1974)
3 SCC 288, Umedbhai Jadavbhai Vs State of
Gujrat, (1978) 1 SCC 228, K. Gopal Reddy
Vs. State of A.P., (1979) 1 SCC 355, Tota
Singh Vs State of Punjab, (1987) 2 SCC 529,
Ram Kumar Vs State of Haryana, 1995 Supp
(1) SCC 248, Madan Lal Vs. State of J & K,
(1997) 7 SCC 677, Sambasivan Vs State of
Kerala, (1998) 5 SCC 412, Bhagwan Singh Vs
State of M.P., (2002) 4 SCC 85, Harijana
Thirupala Vs Public Prosecutor, High Court
of A.P., (2002) 6 SCC 470, C. Antony Vs
K.G. Raghavan Nair, (2003) 1 SCC 1, State
of Karnataka Vs K. Gopalkrishna, (2005) 9
SCC 291, State of Goa Vs Sanjay Thakran,
(2007) 3 SCC 755 and Chandrappa, Chandrappa
Vs State of Karnataka, (2007) 4 SCC 415. It
is not necessary to deal with these cases
individually. Suffice it to say that this
Court has consistently held that in dealing
with appeals against acquittal, the
appellate Court must bear in mind the
following : (i) There is presumption of
innocence in favour of an accused person
and such presumption is strengthened by the
order of acquittal passed in his favour by
the trial Court, (ii) The accused person is
entitled to the benefit of reasonable doubt
when it deals with the merit of the appeal
against acquittal, (iii) Though, the power