A court in Thane has acquitted a 32-year-old man who was accused of murdering his wife in 2021. The court ruled that the prosecution failed to establish the necessary foundational facts to prove guilt in a case relying solely on circumstantial evidence.
Court's Scrutiny of Circumstantial Evidence
Principal District and Sessions Judge SB Agrawal delivered the judgment on Saturday. He emphasized that in a case based on circumstantial evidence, the prosecution must prove every fact that forms a link in the chain. This chain must lead only to the hypothesis of the accused's guilt, ruling out any reasonable possibility of innocence.
The prosecution had alleged that on May 9, 2021, Shan Mohammad Shabid Ali Khan murdered his fourth wife, Arfa Khan, at their home in Daighar, Thane district. The alleged motive was Khan's suspicion of his wife's extramarital affair. It was claimed he killed her by banging her head against the bathroom floor, causing fatal head injuries and facial fractures.
Gaps in the Prosecution's Case
Neighbors discovered Arfa lying in a pool of blood, with her two-year-old child crying beside her. Khan was subsequently charged under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code and had been in jail since June 9, 2021.
While medical reports confirmed the death was homicidal, the court found the evidence linking Khan to the act was incomplete. The judge stated that guilt cannot be established solely based on the non-discharge of the burden under Section 106 of the Indian Evidence Act. The prosecution must first prove the foundational facts on its own merit.
The court pointed out specific lapses:
- Key witnesses did not place the accused at the scene at the time of the murder.
- A rolling board, allegedly used in the assault, was recovered much later. The court questioned why blood stains on it were not found during the detailed spot panchanama conducted on the day of the incident, which lasted about an hour.
Acquittal and Immediate Release Ordered
Concluding that the prosecution failed to prove the accused's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, the court acquitted Shan Mohammad Shabid Ali Khan. The judge ordered his immediate release from jail, highlighting the absence of a "complete and unbroken chain" of circumstances connecting him to the crime.
This ruling underscores the high standard of proof required in criminal cases, especially those dependent on circumstantial evidence, where every link in the chain must be firmly established by the prosecution.
