The Supreme Court on Wednesday (September 25) criticized the Patna High Court for making "highly objectionable" remarks, suggesting that a widow does not need to wear make-up. The comments were made during a case concerning the abduction and murder of a woman over a property dispute.

In the concerned case, seven individuals convicted by both the Trial Court and the Patna High Court had appealed to the Supreme Court. Upon review, the Supreme Court acquitted all seven, finding the prosecution's version of events untenable, Live Law reported.

One of the key issues in the case was whether the deceased woman had been residing at the property where the crime occurred. Only the witnesses related to the deceased testified that she was living there. However, during the investigation, the police discovered make-up articles at the scene, which were found to belong to another woman living in the same section of the house.

The Patna High Court had remarked that the make-up items could not have belonged to the deceased woman, as she was a widow and thus, "had no need to put on make-up."

The Supreme Court bench, comprising Justice Bela M. Trivedi and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma, took strong exception to this statement.

"In our opinion, the observation of the High Court is not only legally untenable but also highly objectionable,” the bench observed, quoted Live Law.

The bench stated that such sweeping observations lack the sensitivity and impartiality expected from a court, particularly when unsupported by any evidence on record.