Anantnag court acquits man of murder charge

A court in Anantnag district has acquitted a man of the charge of killing his pregnant wife, citing the prosecution’s failure to prove the guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Principal District and Sessions Judge, Anantnag, Tahir Khurshid Raina has acquitted Bilal Ahmad Sofi in the case of his wife’s death in the south Kashmir district.

In its order, the court cited the prosecution’s failure to prove the guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The judgment was reserved on August 8 and pronounced on Monday.

The case involved charges under section 302 of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC) for the alleged killing of Sumi Jan.

The complaint, filed by the deceased’s father, had claimed that Sofi, his son-in-law, assaulted his pregnant daughter on February 25, 2017, by kicking her on the abdomen and dragging her by her hair, leading to her death.

However, the court concluded that the prosecution had failed to prove the culpability of the accused beyond the shadow of doubt.

“Consequently, the accused is acquitted of the charges for which he stands tried in this court. He is also discharged of his personal and surety bonds. Seized property, if any, be destroyed after the appeal time is over,” the judge ruled.