One person was killed and another wounded in a violent fight in 1992; the Sessions Court gave the accused life imprisonment. The conviction and the Uttarakhand High Court reversed the convictions in 2012. Khem Singh was a victim who petitioned the Supreme Court. His son (who had also suffered injury) applied after his death to be substituted, and to the abatement laid aside. On 22 August 2025, the Supreme Court decided that the right to prefer an appeal in the proviso of Section 372 CrPC must be accompanied by the right to prosecute an appeal, so that heirs can maintain an appeal on behalf of deceased victims. The Court believed that heirs of victims- such as heirs of the accused- must have a substantial right to appeal, which is consistent with the concept of the legislative intention and constitutional values. The Court therefore permitted replacement of the legal heir, condoned delay, abatement being set aside, the case remanded to the High Court with the direction of a reasoned rehearing, and the necessity of the proper appreciation of evidence.