Man convicted of cop's murder

Saurabh Malik

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Chandigarh, October 13

Nearly four years after a police official was shot while attempting to arrest an accused “wanted in several cases”, Rewari Additional Sessions Justice Sushil Kumar Garg has convicted him of murder and other offences.

Two other accused acquitted

• The convict, Naresh, will be heard on the quantum of sentence on October 14. Two other accused aquitted
• An FIR in the matter was registered on November 16, 2018, for murder, attempt to murder and other offences
• On seeing the cops approaching him, Naresh opened fire, which led to SI Ranbir Singh sustaining bullet injuries in the stomach. He later succumbed to his injuries

The convict, Naresh, will be heard on the quantum of sentence on October 14.

Justice Garg, at the same time, acquitted two other accused after observing that the prosecution failed to prove the charges framed against them.

An FIR in the matter was registered on November 16, 2018, for murder, attempt to murder and other offences, under Sections 302, 307, 333, 186, 353, 303, 109 and 120B of the IPC and the provisions of the of Arms Act at Dharuhera police station in Rewari.

The court was told that a raiding party, acting on the information about his whereabouts, rushed to arrest him. On seeing the cops approach ing him, Naresh opened fire, which led to Sub-Inspector Ranbir Singh sustaining bullet injuries in his stomach.

The police official later succumbed to his injuries.

Justice Garg observed that a careful perusal of the prosecution evidence showed that it was based on direct evidence. His identification was not in dispute as he was caught by the police party with the help of a passerby.

The complainant and eyewitness, ASI Pritam, duly supported the prosecution case after appearing in the witness box. The eyewitnesses account deserved credence in the absence of motivation for false implication of accused by the complainant.

“This court has considered the eyewitness account of the murder of SI Ranbir Singh by accused Naresh. In the case of the direct evidence, motive to kill any person becomes totally insignificance…. Moreover, in the case in hand motive to kill SI Ranbir Singh could be attributed to accused Naresh as he wanted to escape from him as he wanted in an (another) FIR under section 302 of the IPC,” Justice Garg asserted.

Referring to the defence counsel’s argument that the testimonies of the prosecution witnesses had a little value as they were closely related to the victim being police officials, Justice Garg asserted the only proposition of law that came out of a Supreme Court was that testimony could not be discarded simply on the ground that a witness was relative or colleague of the deceased.

Justice Garg added that some discrepancies/contradictions were only minor in nature and were bound to creep in even in the deposition of the truthful witnesses, especially when the material witnesses were examined after more than three years and 10 months of the occurrence.