by INS
Jammu: The Jammu and Kashmir High Court on Thursday dismissed an appeal by the state against a trial court judgement, acquitting accused in the murder of two persons in Udhampur district of state’s Jammu region in 1998.
According to the prosecution, on 22 May 1998 at about 7.40pm, information was received through reliable sources by Police Station Udhampur that some persons have murdered Parveen Singh and Bhola Ram at Singh Cafteria near M. H. Morh Udhampur on the Srinagar-Jammu Highway and police rushed to the spot and found bodies of the deceased persons lying in a pool of blood on floor and a table. Later a First Information Report was registered and investigation commenced. The Police after completion of the investigation filed a charge sheet against accused persons—Gian Singh and Prahlad Singh.
The prosecution in order to prove its case examined as many as 54 witnesses and accused also led evidence in their defence. The trial court, therefore, taking into account the factum of previous enmity, motive, execution of plan and testimony of eye witnesses as well as circumstantial evidence, and subsequently acquitted the accused of the offences alleged against them on 7 October 2002.
The verdict was challenged by the government before high court in 2003 and after more than 14 years, the state’s highest court upheld the acquittals.
“From perusal of the judgment of the trial court, we find that the findings recorded by the trial court can neither be termed as perverse, contrary to the evidence or erroneous, therefore, no case for interference in this acquittal appeal is made out,” a division bench of Justices Alok Aradhe and Sanjeev Kumar said and resultantly dismissed the appeal.
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