Allahabad High Court Acquits Man Convicted of Wife and Children’s Murder After 23 Years The Allahabad High Court recently acquitted a man who had been convicted of murdering his wife and three children nearly two decades ago, overturning a verdict that had kept him in prison for over 23 years. The Division Bench, comprising Justice Siddharth and Justice Jai Krishna Upadhyay, ruled that the prosecution’s evidence failed to conclusively establish the accused’s guilt, highlighting systemic flaws in the criminal justice system. The case dates back to August 30, 2003, when the complainant, who was the uncle of the deceased wife, received information that the accused had killed his wife and their three children. The complainant, along with the deceased’s father and villagers, arrived at the accused’s village to investigate. Villagers claimed the accused had a dispute with his wife the previous night, leading to her and the children’s deaths via stabbing. The only survivor, a 5-year-old son, alleged that his father killed his mother and siblings. The bodies were found in the courtyard, and the accused fled the scene. A case was registered under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), leading to the accused’s conviction. The court scrutinized the prosecution’s evidence, noting inconsistencies in witness accounts. The informant, who was the uncle of the deceased, claimed he received information from an unknown source about the murders. However, the court questioned the credibility of his statement, as he could not identify the person who provided the information. The surviving son, who testified that he witnessed the killings, later admitted during cross-examination that he had been coached by the informant to give a specific statement.#allahabad_high_court #justice_siddharth #justice_jai_krishna_upadhyay #section_302_ipc
