Prayagraj: 100-Year-Old Man Acquitted After 42-Year Legal Battle
In a landmark ruling that underscores the profound delays plaguing India's judicial system, the Allahabad High Court has acquitted Dhani Ram, a centenarian who spent 42 years awaiting finality in a murder case. The court's decision came last month, restoring freedom to the Hamirpur native in his hundredth year, after he lived most of his life under the shadow of a pending appeal.
A Case Rooted in a 1982 Property Feud
Dhani Ram was convicted in 1984 for a murder that occurred in 1982, tied to a property feud. Though sentenced to life imprisonment, he was released on bail that same year. For the next four decades, his appeal languished in the court docket, with Dhani Ram spending 42 years in a state of legal limbo, waiting for a resolution that moved slower than time itself.
High Court's Scathing 23-Page Ruling
A division bench of Justices Chandra Dhari Singh and Sanjiv Kumar delivered a 23-page ruling dated January 21, tearing into the prosecution's case. The judges highlighted numerous contradictions, including:
- Unreliable testimony from two eyewitnesses
- Omissions in the First Information Report (FIR)
- What the court termed "inherent improbabilities" in the evidence presented
With the main accused, Maiku, absconding since 1982 and allegedly being the one who fired the fatal shot, the bench concluded that the prosecution had failed to prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
Justice Delayed, Justice Denied: The Human Cost
In a poignant observation, the bench wrote, "When a person stands before the court at the twilight of existence, the insistence on penal consequences, after decades of procedural delay, risks transforming justice into a ritual divorced from the purpose it intends." The court emphasized that prolonged anxiety, uncertainty, and social fallout "cannot be ignored" when determining what justice requires in such cases.
Case Details and Legal Proceedings
Dhani Ram and co-accused Satti Din were convicted under IPC sections 302 read with 34 for accompanying Maiku during the killing. Satti Din died during his own pending appeal, leaving Dhani Ram as the lone surviving appellant. His counsel argued that he was only accused of exhortation, not firing any shot, while state counsel opposed the acquittal.
Acquittal and the Path Forward
The high court ruled that the benefit of doubt must go to the centenarian, granting acquittal and discharging his bail bond. This case serves as a stark indictment of a judicial system that often moves at a glacial pace, leaving individuals like Dhani Ram to endure decades of uncertainty before finally receiving justice.
