Court acquits man, father of charge of murdering relative

A man and his father have been acquitted of the charge of murdering a relative by a Delhi court, which said their conduct does not point towards their involvement in the crime.

The court gave benefit of doubt to the two men, residents of Sabzi Mandi area in central Delhi, and freed them saying the prosecution has not been able to prove the case.

"It is matter of common knowledge that whenever any victim is brought to hospital, the authorities themselves set the law into motion by informing the police. When the accused persons removed the victim to hospital, they must be knowing that the matter shall come to notice of police.
 

"Had they been involved in the commission of crime, they would not have thought of removing the victim to hospital and rather taken steps to screen themselves," Special Judge Narinder Kumar said.

According to the prosecution, the incident took place on the night of October 22, 2011, when the victim had gone to his in-law's house in Central Delhi and the accused man and his father shot him dead.

The victim had married the man's sister in 2008 and was having a matrimonial dispute with his wife which was later on settled by the crime against women cell in 2011.

A murder case was registered after the victim's mother was informed by the police about his death at a hospital here.

During the trial, both the men denied the allegations levelled against them and claimed false implication.

The court, in its judgement, said it was true that two pistols and a knife were recovered from the house of the accused persons but no finger print could be lifted from any of these weapons.

"Had finger prints been lifted from the pistols or the knife, then the things would have been otherwise. Prosecution has not led any evidence to suggest that the accused persons removed finger prints from the pistol and the knife before or after removal of the victim from the spot to the hospital.

"Rather conduct of the accused persons reveal that they intended to rush the victim to hospital immediately to save his life. Otherwise, they would not have immediately rushed him to hospital soon after the occurrence," it said.