As per case facts, the informant's son, Suraj, was picked up by the appellant Prakash and co-accused Subhash Kengar on a motorcycle late at night. The next morning, Suraj was ... found severely injured and later identified as deceased, having sustained a crush injury to the head. An FIR was registered, and the Sessions Court convicted the appellant and co-accused under murder charges, sentencing them to life imprisonment. The appellant then filed an appeal, while the co-accused's appeal abated due to his demise. The question arose whether the circumstantial evidence, particularly the 'last seen together' theory, motive, call detail records, and recovery of blood-stained clothes, was sufficient to prove the appellant's guilt beyond reasonable doubt. Finally, the court held that while the 'last seen together' theory was established, the time gap between the deceased being last seen with the appellant and his body being found was wide, allowing for the possibility of third-party intervention. The motive, based on a previous quarrel, was not conclusively proven as no complaint was lodged, and the evidence regarding it was insufficient. The chemical analyzer report for blood-stained clothes was inconclusive, and no fingerprints were found on beer bottles from the scene. The court found a key witness unreliable as his identification of the accused was influenced by the police. Therefore, the court concluded that mere suspicion, however strong, could not substitute proof beyond a reasonable doubt in a case based on circumstantial evidence. The conviction was set aside, and the appellant was acquitted due to the prosecution's failure to establish a complete and unbroken chain of circumstances.