Supreme Court orders Rs 6 lakh for man jailed six years before acquittal

A Supreme Court reparation order on Monday, October 26, directed Uttar Pradesh to pay Rs 6 lakh to a man who spent six years in custody before being acquitted in an Agra murder case. The bench in New Delhi criticised the investigation and prosecution that had kept him behind bars.

Justices J B Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran ordered payment within a month. The judgment said a delay beyond that period would carry annual interest of 18 per cent.

The man had been detained since November 14, 2019. He approached the top court after the Allahabad High Court refused bail in January.

Bench identifies missing evidence and procedural failures

On March 23, the Supreme Court had required the trial to finish within three months because of his prolonged detention. The trial subsequently ended in acquittal, and the bench examined the trial court’s findings.

The prosecution had relied on four circumstances, none of which was established, according to the court’s account. The judges said even basic investigative steps had not been completed and criticised reliance on a confession made to police that was inadmissible as evidence.

The Supreme Court reparation judgment also identified gaps concerning physical and electronic material. A motorcycle recovered from the location where human remains were found was not produced at trial, and its ownership was not established.

The forensic findings concerning the remains were not disclosed. Investigators had not collected a DNA sample from the supposed victim’s father to establish identification, while the CCTV material lacked the required Evidence Act certificate.

The bench said investigation and prosecution should protect justice for the accused as well as complainants and victims. It stressed the state’s obligation to safeguard liberty while an accused person remains presumed innocent.

Copies of the ruling were directed to the state’s police chief and home secretary. The judges also called for officers to receive proper instruction in investigative procedures.

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