Chandigarh: 3 acquitted in Sector 44 murder case

A Chandigarh court has acquitted Dinesh Kumar, a resident of Dhanas; Anil Kumar, alias Neelu, of Teen Colony, Sector 52; and Parvinder, a resident of Sector 44, in a six-year-old murder case, observing that the prosecution had failed to prove the charges against them beyond reasonable doubt.

The accused were arrested after the body of an elderly man was found at Labour Chowk in Sector 44, Chandigarh, in November 2020. According to the prosecution, a blood-stained stone was found near the body. The police identified the deceased as Jaspal Singh, who was a plumber by profession. A case under Sections 302 and 34 of the IPC was registered.

The police claimed that on the following day, when the SHO and a police party were present near Burail Chowk, a man, Jagvinder Singh Malik, produced three persons before them.

According to the police, Malik told the investigating officials that on November 18, 2020, after feeding cows at a gaushala, he was returning in his car when the three persons approached him. They allegedly started weeping and requested him to save them, saying that they had committed a mistake and were afraid of the police. They allegedly told him that they had murdered Jaspal. The police subsequently arrested the three accused.

After completing the investigation, the police presented a challan against the accused under Section 302 read with Section 34 of the IPC. Finding a prima facie case, the court framed charges against the accused. They pleaded not guilty and claimed trial.

The defence counsel argued that the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt. The counsel submitted that there was no evidence connecting the accused with the death of the deceased and termed the prosecution story as fabricated.

After hearing the arguments, the court observed that there was no direct evidence of the alleged occurrence and that the case rested entirely on circumstantial evidence.

The court noted that there was nothing on record to establish how the three accused came into contact with the person they allegedly met outside the gaushala, how they reposed confidence in him and confessed to the crime, or why they allegedly requested him to take them to the police.

The court further observed that there was no evidence or explanation regarding these circumstances, making the alleged extra-judicial confession highly doubtful. It also noted that there was no receipt for cattle fodder, CCTV footage or oral evidence establishing that the witness had visited the cowshed.

Giving the accused the benefit of the doubt, the court acquitted Dinesh, Anil and Parvinder of the charges framed against them.