Ghaziabad Man Acquitted After Seven Years in Jail as All Witnesses Turn Hostile
In a significant legal development in Ghaziabad, a man from Loni has been acquitted of charges of murdering his mother after spending seven long years in jail. The acquittal came on Wednesday after every single prosecution witness presented evidence that contradicted the police's case, leading the court to rule in favor of the accused.
Court Cites Hostile Witnesses and Lack of Evidence
Judge Lokesh Varun, presiding over the case, noted that all eyewitnesses examined by the prosecution provided hostile testimony in court, making statements that directly opposed the prosecution's narrative. The judge emphasized that the totality of the witnesses' statements effectively disproved the prosecution's case and the charges laid against the accused. Consequently, the court granted the accused the benefit of the doubt, leading to his acquittal.
"The totality of the witnesses' statements disproves the prosecution's case and the charges. Therefore, the accused deserves to be acquitted of the charges levelled against him, receiving the benefit of the doubt," Judge Varun stated in his ruling.
Background of the Case
The matter originated from an FIR lodged on February 20, 2019, by Yogesh Kumar, who accused his younger brother, Manoj, of killing their mother, Ramvati Devi. According to the initial complaint, Manoj allegedly hit his mother on the head with a gas cylinder the previous night, leading to her death.
However, Manoj consistently denied these allegations, asserting that his mother was ill and had suffered a fall after slipping, which resulted in a head injury. He further alleged that the police were framing him in a false case, a claim that gained traction as the trial progressed.
Investigation and Trial Proceedings
Following a preliminary investigation, the police registered a murder case against Manoj and arrested him the next day. Key items from the crime scene, including a gas cylinder and a blood-soaked pillow, were seized as evidence, and a chargesheet was subsequently filed in court.
During the trial, the prosecution presented 11 witnesses, comprising family members and neighbors. Remarkably, all of these witnesses denied the accusations against Manoj, undermining the prosecution's case from the outset. Notably, the plaintiff, Yogesh Kumar, retracted the statement he had made during the initial complaint filing, alleging that the report "was dictated to him by the police."
Court Observations on Witness Credibility
The court observed that Yogesh's retraction severely weakened the prosecution's credibility, as he admitted that the accused did not murder his mother. "This weakens the prosecution's credibility, as the plaintiff himself admitted that the accused did not murder his mother. The plaintiff's testimony in the examination-in-chief also makes it clear that this witness is not an eyewitness to the prosecution's case," the court noted.
Additionally, the prosecution's story remained uncorroborated by four neighbors and two of the accused's uncles, who testified that the mother and son lived together and that Manoj was responsible for her care. This testimony further bolstered the defense's argument and contributed to the acquittal.
Implications of the Ruling
This case highlights critical issues in the criminal justice system, including the reliance on witness testimony and the potential for miscarriages of justice when evidence is contested. The acquittal after seven years of incarceration underscores the importance of thorough investigations and the need for credible, consistent witness accounts to secure convictions.
The ruling serves as a reminder of the legal principle that an accused is innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, a standard that was not met in this instance due to the hostile nature of all prosecution witnesses.
