Supreme Court Upholds Life Sentence for Witch-Hunting Murder, Emphasizes Quality Over Quantity of Witnesses

Case Snapshot

Case Name: Balku Oram v. State of Odisha

Citation: 2026 INSC 852

Bench: Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and Justice N.V. Anjaria

Date of Judgment: August 13, 2026

Area of Law: Criminal Law, Murder, Evidence Law, Witch-Hunting

The Judgment in One Line

Conviction under Section 302 upheld on sole reliable eyewitness testimony; delay in FIR explained and no case for reduction to Section 304 made out.

Why This Judgment Matters

This judgment reinforces the well-settled principle that the quality of evidence matters more than the quantity. The Court affirmed that a sole eyewitness, even if related to the deceased, can sustain a murder conviction if her testimony is trustworthy and corroborated by medical evidence. The judgment also addresses the social evil of witch-hunting, condemning the practice of branding vulnerable women as witches and subjecting them to brutal violence. It serves as a reminder that superstition and irrational beliefs cannot override the rule of law and constitutional morality.

Background

On February 17, 1998, at around 5:00 p.m., the youngest daughter of Manobodha Naik died. Family members claimed she died due to witchcraft practiced by the deceased, Puni Naik. The appellant and a co-accused dragged Puni Naik from her house, took her near Manobodha Naik's house, and assaulted her severely with lathis. The daughter of the deceased (PW-3) witnessed the

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