In a dramatic reversal, the Gujarat High Court has acquitted a man who was earlier sentenced to death by a trial court for the rape and murder of his own pregnant teenage daughter. The court cited significant procedural lapses, refusing to accept the crucial DNA report that led to his conviction as credible evidence.
A Gruesome Crime and Initial Conviction
The harrowing case revolved around a 14-year-old migrant girl from Odisha. Her body was discovered on Dumas beach in Surat on June 29, 2017. A subsequent autopsy revealed two shocking facts: the young victim was pregnant and had been strangled to death.
Following the father's arrest based on circumstantial evidence, the prosecution built its case around a DNA match. Forensic analysis linked the accused to the foetus found in the deceased girl. This DNA evidence became the "cornerstone" of his conviction in January 2020 under the Indian Penal Code and the stringent Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act, leading to a death sentence from the Surat trial court.
High Court Scrutiny Uncovers Critical Flaws
The case took a complete turn when the state government approached the High Court for mandatory confirmation of the capital punishment. A division bench comprising Justices Ilesh Vora and R T Vachhani meticulously examined the evidence and found the prosecution's chain of circumstances fatally broken.
The judges observed that the prosecution "failed to prove all necessary circumstances by reliable and clinching evidence." They emphasized that the evidence did not form a complete, unbreakable chain that would point solely to the guilt of the accused, leaving room for reasonable doubt.
How the DNA Evidence Was "Compromised"
The High Court's ruling hinged on multiple serious lapses in handling the sensitive biological evidence. The bench pointed out that the integrity of the DNA samples from both the victim's unborn baby and the accused was potentially compromised due to:
- A critical 13-day delay in submitting the samples to the designated forensic science laboratory.
- The failure to preserve the highly sensitive biological material in a proper ice box, raising questions about contamination or degradation.
These procedural failures led the court to question the reliability of the very evidence that had sealed the man's fate in the lower court. The judges ruled that such lapses made the DNA report inadmissible as conclusive proof of guilt.
The acquittal underscores the paramount importance of meticulous evidence collection and preservation, especially in capital punishment cases where the stakes are irrevocably high. The judgment highlights how procedural negligence can unravel even the most seemingly solid prosecutions, leading to tragic judicial outcomes.
