The Supreme Court of India has acquitted a man previously sentenced to death in connection with the rape and murder of a seven-year-old girl, citing a lack of credible evidence and suggesting the police used him as a "scapegoat". The ruling by a three-judge bench, headed by Justice Vikram Nath, overturned the verdicts of the trial court and the Madras High Court, which had found the man guilty in 2017.
The Supreme Court found that the trial was "conducted in a lopsided manner and without due deference to the principles of fair trial". The bench, also comprising Justices Sanjay Karol and Sandeep Mehta, stated that mandatory requirements were bypassed during the trial, from the framing of charges to the recording of evidence. The accused was not represented by a defense lawyer or legal aid counsel when charges were framed, and crucial documents were not supplied in time, denying him a fair opportunity to defend himself. The court emphasized that the constitutional right of an accused to defend themselves is not "illusory or imaginary".
The court was critical of the investigation, stating, "It seems that the Investigation Officers were intentionally trying to screen the truth from being brought on record and wash their hands off the matter, by making the appellant a scapegoat". The bench described the prosecution's reliance on CCTV footage as "nothing but a figment of imagination" and criticized the withholding of vital evidence. The court also found the prosecution's reliance on confessional statements and recoveries to be contrived.
Furthermore, the Supreme Court noted that the trial court's sentencing order was rushed, which "vitiate[d] the death sentence awarded to the appellant". The apex court asserted that "prejudice and denial of opportunity of effective defence to the accused are writ large on the face of the record" before acquitting the appellant and setting aside the convictions and sentences.
In a similar case earlier this year, the Supreme Court acquitted two men, including one on death row, in the 2012 rape and murder of a 12-year-old girl in Lucknow. The court criticized the police and prosecution for a "lackluster and shabby investigation" in that case as well. The bench, also comprising Justices Vikram Nath, Sanjay Karol, and Sandeep Mehta, noted that the prosecution must establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt when relying entirely on circumstantial evidence. The court found the prosecution's case to be frail and lacking credible evidence.
These acquittals highlight the critical importance of thorough and fair investigations, adherence to due process, and the need for solid evidence in criminal trials, especially those involving severe penalties like the death sentence. The Supreme Court has repeatedly emphasized that suspicion, no matter how strong, cannot replace proper proof.
