The film presents a case against capital punishment, arguing that witnesses may be genuinely deceived, and their consequent inadvertently tendered false testimony may lead someone wrongly to be convicted and hanged.

An emotionally overcharged Kalidas asks judge Badri Prasad (Ashok Kumar) what gives law the right to deprive an innocent man of something it cannot return him, before collapsing and dying.

Badri Prasad, who is well known for never having awarded a death sentence, has a friendly argument with Jha, which leads to a wager that it is possible for someone to get away scot-free with murder.

The young couple's visit to ballet is rather unremarkable, except for the surreptitious appearance of Ashok Kumar, who is seen by the viewer romancing an unknown lady (Shashikala) in a private box.

Badri Prasad's son Vijay (Mehmood) is heavily indebted to Dhaniram (Om Prakash) a local money lender who, having obtained the former's signature on a blank piece of paper, threatens to have his entire property confiscated.

Afraid to face his stern father with the truth, Vijay pleads with Kailash to intercede with the moneylender.

Kailash watches in horror from the inner room, as the unscheduled visitor (Ashok Kumar) stabs his host to death.

Unfortunately, a petty thief, Kaalia (Nana Palsikar), who comes in with the intention of burglary, is apprehended at the scene of the crime and presented in Badri Prasad's court.

Torn between his loyalty to his mentor and future father-in-law, on the one hand, and his moral duty to save an innocent man, on the other, Kailash resolves to defend the accused, while at the same time, avoiding bringing out in public the painful truth.

The defence represented by Kailash Khanna too has several fatal weaknesses, although these were never brought to the notice of the court by the prosecution side.