The Allahabad High Court has strongly criticized the justice system for failing to protect innocent people from wrongful convictions. The court observed that trial judges sometimes convict innocent persons to protect their reputation and career prospects, leading to years of suffering for the accused.
The bench of Justices Siddharth and Syed Qamar Hasan Rizvi made these remarks while acquitting a man accused of murdering his wife in 2009. The man had already spent nearly 13 years in jail before being granted bail, despite insufficient evidence against him.
The court stressed that the man deserved heavy compensation for wrongful prosecution. However, due to the lack of a legal framework, no relief could be provided. The judges pointed out that wrongful prosecution violates Articles 14 (Right to Equality) and 21 (Right to Life and Liberty) of the Constitution, yet no effective law has been enacted to address it.
Referring to the Bhartiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023, the court noted that it still does not provide remedies for wrongfully accused individuals. The judges added that acquitted persons often struggle to reintegrate into society and are unfairly treated as burdens by their families.
“The State can and should provide monetary compensation to wrongfully accused persons so they can find some solace and dignity after years of suffering,” the bench observed.
The man in this case was initially charged with dowry death, cruelty, and causing the death of an unborn child (Section 316 IPC). However, at the time of judgment, the trial court added a murder charge (Section 302 IPC) even though the prosecution had not proven the dowry-related allegations. Shockingly, the accused was not given a fair chance to defend himself against the new charge.
The High Court ruled that this violated the principle of a fair trial and acquitted the man of all charges. However, it expressed its helplessness in granting compensation due to the absence of a statutory framework.
The judgment highlights the urgent need for a comprehensive law on compensation for innocent persons wrongfully prosecuted and imprisoned in India.
Be a part our social media community:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/IndianMan.in?mibextid=ZbWKwL
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/indianman.in?igsh=MWZ2N3N0ZmpwM3l3cw==
