NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has acquitted two death row convicts and one lifer in a murder case due to shoddy probe into the killing of a 15-year-old boy in MP.
Anguished over “disappointing, inept and unscientific police investigations”, the court called for framing of a code of investigation to infuse efficiency and professionalism in the police force.
Supreme Court: Benefit of doubt given due to weak links in probe
Pointing out innumerable weak links and loopholes in the police investigations in the murder of a 15-year-old boy in Madhya Pradesh in 2013, a Supreme Court bench of Justices BR Gavai, JB Pardiwala and Sanjay Kumar said the court was left with no option but to give benefit of doubt to the accused and directed their release forthwith. The court acquitted two men sentenced to death and one sentenced to life.
“Before parting with the case with our verdict, we may note with deep and profound concern the disappointing standards of police investigation that seem to be the invariable norm,” the court said.
The court noted that it is high time that a consistent and dependable code of investigation is devised with a mandatory and detailed procedure for police to implement and abide by during the course of investigations so that the “guilty do not walk free on technicalities, as they do in most cases in our country”.
Granting relief to the accused who have been in jail for nearly a decade, the court said it was perplexing that the trial court and HC went to the extent of imposing capital punishment despite the innumerable weak links.
Anguished over “disappointing, inept and unscientific police investigations”, the court called for framing of a code of investigation to infuse efficiency and professionalism in the police force.
Supreme Court: Benefit of doubt given due to weak links in probe
Pointing out innumerable weak links and loopholes in the police investigations in the murder of a 15-year-old boy in Madhya Pradesh in 2013, a Supreme Court bench of Justices BR Gavai, JB Pardiwala and Sanjay Kumar said the court was left with no option but to give benefit of doubt to the accused and directed their release forthwith. The court acquitted two men sentenced to death and one sentenced to life.
“Before parting with the case with our verdict, we may note with deep and profound concern the disappointing standards of police investigation that seem to be the invariable norm,” the court said.
The court noted that it is high time that a consistent and dependable code of investigation is devised with a mandatory and detailed procedure for police to implement and abide by during the course of investigations so that the “guilty do not walk free on technicalities, as they do in most cases in our country”.
Granting relief to the accused who have been in jail for nearly a decade, the court said it was perplexing that the trial court and HC went to the extent of imposing capital punishment despite the innumerable weak links.
