Ghaziabad Court Frees Man After 8-Year Ordeal, Highlights Critical Flaws in Prosecution Case
In a significant ruling that underscores the importance of solid evidence in criminal trials, a Ghaziabad court has acquitted a man who spent nearly eight years in jail for allegedly murdering his wife and disposing of her body in a drain. The additional sessions court found multiple gaping holes in the prosecution's narrative, starting with the fundamental question of whether the recovered body even belonged to the missing woman.
Case Background and Arrest
Rajiv Poddar, originally from Darbhanga in Bihar, was arrested on August 28, 2018, under sections 302 (murder) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence) of the Indian Penal Code. This followed the disappearance of his wife, Sanjana, and the subsequent discovery of a woman's body in a drain on August 25, 2018.
The case began when Poddar himself filed a missing person report at Vijaynagar police station on August 19, 2018. Six days later, when police recovered a woman's body from a drain, Sanjana's brother, Rajesh, identified it as his sister's and accused Poddar of murder. Based on this identification, a case was registered on August 27, and Poddar was arrested the following day.
Critical Identification Issues
During the trial, defense counsel DK Mishra and Vikas Chaturvedi argued that the prosecution never proved the recovered body was actually Sanjana's. The body of the deceased unidentified woman was unidentifiable, they submitted. The plaintiff's evidence does not clearly state the basis on which he identified the deceased as his sister, Sanjana, nor did the prosecution produce any witness to prove that the body of the deceased unidentified woman was actually that of Sanjana.
The court noted significant discrepancies between the complainant's identification claim and the body's measurements recorded by investigators. Medical evidence failed to conclusively match the body to Sanjana's description, leaving the prosecution's central claim unproven.
Complicated Narrative with Second Body
The case became more complex with the discovery of a second body—that of a child—found alongside the woman's body. Both bodies were mutilated, and the child's body was never identified. This gap further weakened the prosecution's narrative about the victims' identities and what exactly transpired.
The defense highlighted that Poddar and Sanjana had three children, all of whom were with their father at home, raising questions about the unidentified child's connection to the case.
Evidence Recovery Doubts
Police had filed a chargesheet on November 6, 2018, and registered a separate case under the Arms Act regarding a knife they claimed was the murder weapon. However, the court found the recovery of this evidence doubtful.
The court recorded that prosecution witnesses admitted the recovery spot was a frequently traveled road with public presence during the recovery. Yet the recovery report did not name any witnesses, and despite acknowledging CCTV cameras at the site, none of the witnesses attempted to view the footage, making the recovery appear suspicious.
Lack of Motive and Direct Evidence
The prosecution examined 12 witnesses, including the complainant, neighbors, the autopsy doctor, and investigating officers. However, the defense stressed the case was purely circumstantial, lacking any direct evidence of anyone witnessing Sanjana's murder.
One witness admitted during cross-examination that there was no quarrel between Sanjana and Poddar, undermining assault allegations. In this case, when witness PW-1 admitted in his cross-examination that there was no quarrel between his sister and brother-in-law, the statement of PW-1 regarding assault became unreliable, the judge observed.
Court's Legal Reasoning
Citing Supreme Court rulings in Manjeet vs State of Kerala (2000 ACC) and Subimal Sarkar vs Sachindra Nath Mandal and others (2003), Additional Sessions Judge Niranjan Chandra Pandey reiterated that in circumstantial cases, evidence must be cogent and convincing and form a complete chain ruling out every hypothesis except the accused's guilt.
The judge concluded the prosecution's oral and documentary evidence failed this test. It did not establish a complete chain of circumstances, did not prove motive, and did not show Poddar disposed of the body to destroy evidence. Consequently, the court acquitted him of all charges and ordered his immediate release.
Poddar had remained in jail since his 2018 arrest, with even the Allahabad High Court rejecting his bail plea before this acquittal brought his nearly eight-year ordeal to an end.
