Cab driver was killed near Pinjore

On September 10, 2019, a 40-year-old cab driver, Parvinder Singh, was allegedly murdered near Khedawali village, Pinjore. Four individuals, who reportedly met on Facebook, had allegedly planned to rob a vehicle. As per the police, they hired Parvinder's cab from the Kalka railway station, and during the robbery attempt, a scuffle ensued, leading to the fatal shooting. The accused then allegedly dumped Parvinder's body and abandoned the car.

Akashdeep Virk

Tribune News Service

Panchkula, January 24

The Panchkula Sessions Court acquitted four accused in the 2019 murder case of Parvinder Singh, a 40-year-old cab driver, citing major investigative lapses on Panchkula police’s part and lack of sufficient evidence.

The accused — Rohit Seth, Pawan Gupta, Sushant Sardar and Govind Ram — had been charged under Sections 302 (murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence, or giving false information to screen offender), and 34 (act done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the IPC, along with Section 25 of the Arms Act, 1959. The case relied heavily on circumstantial evidence, including the recovery of a country-made pistol, cell phone data, and witness testimonies.

While delivering the verdict, Sessions Judge Ved Parkash Sirohi remarked, “There is no direct evidence available in this case. The entire case of the prosecution is based on circumstantial evidence, which is incomplete and not conclusive in nature.”

The judgement also pointed out that the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report indicates that blood group 'O' was found on the clothes of accused Pawan Gupta and Gobind. However, there is no evidence confirming that the deceased, Parvinder Singh, had blood group 'O'. Additionally, the clothes of both the deceased and the accused were not sent for DNA analysis to confirm if the blood was from the deceased. Therefore, the prosecution failed to prove the blood on the accused's clothes belonged to the deceased, the judge remarked.

Addressing the inconsistencies in witness statements, the judgment noted, “The contradictory depositions of the witnesses make their testimonies unreliable and inspire no confidence.”

Summing up the prosecution’s inability to prove the charges, the court stated, “The prosecution has failed to prove its case beyond all reasonable doubt against any of the accused. Accordingly, all the accused are acquitted of the charges framed against them.”

The trial, which spanned over five years, saw the prosecution’s case crumble under procedural flaws and lack of conclusive evidence. The accused were represented by advocates SPS Parmar, Abhishek Singh Rana, Rajesh Bura, Sameer Sethi, and Tarun Vaid. Public prosecutor Honey Kaushik represented the police.