India, Jan. 29 -- The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Haryana government to pay Rs.5 lakh each in compensation to three men who were wrongfully convicted of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment, holding the public prosecutor responsible for the miscarriage of justice and highlighting systemic flaws in the appointment of prosecutors based "solely on political considerations" rather than merit.

A bench of justices JB Pardiwala and R Mahadevan overturned the Punjab and Haryana high court's August 2024 decision, observing that the public prosecutor in the case failed in his duty to assist the court appropriately.

Instead of pointing out the clear legal bar on reversing an acquittal through a revision petition, the prosecutor so...