Court acquits eight men in encounter case, pulls up police
14 March 2015 12:26 AM GMT
A court here has acquitted eight persons allegedly involved in a police encounter in 2003 and pulled up Delhi Police for shoddy investigation observing that “legitimacy of judicial process” will be under cloud if acts of violations are condoned.
Additional Sessions Judge Manoj Jain gave benefit of doubt to the eight accused and said the prosecution has failed to prove its case. The eight men acquitted by the court are Delhi residents Sanjay and Virender Singh and Haryana residents Rohtash, Sonu, Dharmender, Sandeep, Vikram and Narinder.
Rohtash had absconded during the trial proceedings and was declared as proclaimed offender. The court, however, also acquitted him in absentia. The ninth accused, Rakesh, had initially absconded but was killed in a police encounter in Haryana in 2007. The proceedings against him were abated. Pulling up the police for not probing the case properly, the court said it made “namesake attempt” to join passersby as independent witnesses and they too were let off in a “very casual manner”.
The judge said: “The legitimacy of judicial process may come under cloud if the court is seen to condone acts of violation of such safeguards which undermine respect of law.”
Additional Sessions Judge Manoj Jain gave benefit of doubt to the eight accused and said the prosecution has failed to prove its case. The eight men acquitted by the court are Delhi residents Sanjay and Virender Singh and Haryana residents Rohtash, Sonu, Dharmender, Sandeep, Vikram and Narinder.
Rohtash had absconded during the trial proceedings and was declared as proclaimed offender. The court, however, also acquitted him in absentia. The ninth accused, Rakesh, had initially absconded but was killed in a police encounter in Haryana in 2007. The proceedings against him were abated. Pulling up the police for not probing the case properly, the court said it made “namesake attempt” to join passersby as independent witnesses and they too were let off in a “very casual manner”.
The judge said: “The legitimacy of judicial process may come under cloud if the court is seen to condone acts of violation of such safeguards which undermine respect of law.”
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