of independent witness by the prosecution is a serious infirmity and is fatal to the case of the prosecution. 7.7 It is submitted that evidence of Dr. Vikrant Savkar/PW5 is not trustworthy and reliable, and there are material contradictions in the testimonies of PW2 and PW5 regarding the events that occurred at the hospital. 7.8 It is further submitted that seizure and sealing of the string which is said to have been used by the accused to strangulate the deceased is not proved and there are discrepancies regarding the length of the same. It is submitted that it is not the case of the prosecution that string is linked and it was not seized from or at the behest of the appellant and it is also not the 3 (2021) 13 SCC 716 4 (2019) 7 SCC 711 5 (2005) 10 SCC 614 7case of prosecution that said string could have caused the ligature mark found around the neck of the deceased. 7.9 It is further submitted that the cause of injury nos.2 to 4 i.e. curvilinear scratches on the deceased's face and