The Supreme Court of India has acquitted a man who was convicted of murdering his wife 22 years ago, emphasizing that doubt and suspicion cannot be the basis of guilt.
The case stemmed from a 2004 Jharkhand High Court order that upheld the life sentence given by the trial court. The accused had been found guilty primarily because he was last seen with his wife before her death.
A Division Bench, comprising Justice B R Gavai and Justice Sanjay Karol, stated that the conviction was based on incomplete and incorrect evaluation of evidence. “The circumstances linking the appellant to the crime are not proven at all, much beyond reasonable doubt,” the Bench noted.
The incident dates back to August 1988 when the appellant’s wife was found dead in a village well. The prosecution alleged that the husband murdered her and disposed of the body to destroy evidence. It was also claimed that he fabricated a story about her disappearance when approaching the police.
However, the court observed that no witness provided direct or circumstantial evidence linking the accused to the crime. Furthermore, no prior complaints or reports of ill-treatment against the accused had been registered. The Bench emphasized that suspicion, however strong, does not equate to guilt.
“Courts below presumptively proceeded with the assumption of the accused’s guilt, overlooking key evidence,” the judgment stated. It highlighted that even the father of the deceased had been informed about her disappearance by the accused’s father two days prior to the incident.
Given the absence of concrete evidence, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the appellant, acquitting him after 22 years of legal battle and dismissing the case.
This case underlines the significance of proving criminal charges beyond reasonable doubt and ensures that justice is not compromised by assumptions and incomplete evaluations.
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