As per case facts, an appellant was convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment following a complaint by the victim's father, who alleged his daughter was tortured for dowry and later ... set on fire by her husband and in-laws. Many prosecution witnesses, including family and neighbors, turned hostile during the trial, contradicting their initial police statements. The victim succumbed to extensive burn injuries days after hospital admission. The question arose whether the conviction, based solely on a dying declaration recorded under suspicious circumstances and undermined by hostile witnesses and investigative lapses, could be sustained. Finally, the Court concluded that the dying declaration was suspicious due to procedural irregularities, lack of corroboration, and the victim's extended survival after its recording. The prosecution's case was significantly weakened by the hostile witnesses and lapses in investigation. Consequently, the conviction was found unsustainable and was set aside, leading to the allowance of the appeal.