The Supreme Court clarified that the presumption of innocence applies only until conviction, not after. The apex court stated that appellate courts should not re-try cases when considering sentence suspension for convicted individuals. A bench emphasized that suspending life sentences requires rare and exceptional circumstances, such as a gross error in the trial court's judgment, and is distinct from granting bail to undertrials. This clarification came as the court set aside a Patna High Court order suspending life sentences for two individuals convicted of murder.