Uttarakhand High Court Overturns Conviction in 2010 Murder Case, Acquittals Upheld

The Uttarakhand High Court has overturned the conviction and life sentence of two individuals previously found guilty of a 2010 murder, as announced by officials on Monday. The Division Bench, comprising Justice Ravindra Maithani and Justice Alok Mahra, also dismissed the state government's appeal against the acquittal of three other defendants, thereby upholding their freedom.

The murder case concerned the killing of Uday Prakash Aggarwal, which took place on April 18, 2010. Originally, the trial court had convicted Umesh Sajwan and Prakash Pandey under charges of murder and the Arms Act, sentencing them to life imprisonment. Three accused, Ghananand Joshi, Suraj Verma, and Chaman Lohari, were acquitted by the trial court. The High Court found that the prosecution failed to present a watertight case.

The High Court highlighted that the conviction relied heavily on a police confession deemed inadmissible and lacking corroboration from independent forensic evidence. Additionally, the testimony of the witness Bhaskar Brajwasi was considered unreliable, as he neither reported the incident to the police nor assisted the victim. The judgment emphasized that without direct or circumstantial evidence, motive alone was insufficient for conviction, leading to the acquittal of the defendants.

(With inputs from agencies.)