Discrepancy And Contradiction

Discrepancy and contradiction, 'discrepancy' has to be distinguished from 'contradiction'. Whereas contradiction in the statement of the witness is fatal for the case, minor discrepancy or variance in evidence will not make the prosecution's case doubtful. The normal course of the human conduct would be that while narrating a particular incidence there may occur minor discrepancies, such discrepancies in law may render credential to the depositions. Parrot like statements are disfavoured by the Courts, State of Himachal Pradesh v. Lakh Raj, (2000) 1 SCC 247: AIR 1999 SC 3916 (3921). [Criminal Procedure Code, 1973, s. 161]