Orissa HC Acquits 67-Year-Old Man Over 25 Years After His Conviction In Murder Case

Cuttack: The Orissa High Court acquitted a 67-year-old man convicted for the murder of his adoptive parents nearly 25 years back.

The Khurda Sessions Court had convicted Prasanta Kumar Sahoo for the murder of his adoptive parents back in 2000. However, a bench of the High Court comprising Justice SK Sahoo and CR Dash termed the conviction as based on conjecture rather than conclusive evidence.

The bench set aside Sahoo's conviction under sections 302 and 201 of the IPC for the alleged murder of Jadu Sahu and his wife Pitei at Banchhara village under Jatni police limits on the night of August 13, 1996.

The deceased couple, who were childless, had legally adopted Sahoo in 1993. Sahoo was 36 years old then. However, Sahoo's relationship with his adoptive parents soured after he deserted his first wife and brought home his second wife, Santilata, against their wishes, leading to frequent quarrels over property ownership.

The prosecution alleged that on the night of “Chitalagi Amabasya,” Prasanta and Santilata murdered the couple in their bedroom and later misled police by filing a false FIR blaming domestic strife between the deceased.

The trial court had, in 2000, found Sahoo guilty and sentenced him to life imprisonment, holding that circumstantial evidence pointed conclusively to his guilt even though no eyewitness was produced.

The High Court, however, disagreed. Observing that the case rested purely on circumstantial evidence, the bench held that “the circumstances have not been established with clinching evidence and do not form a complete chain.” It ruled that the motive was unproven and that the appellant’s conduct after the crime appeared natural.

The judges criticised the trial court for relying on “surmise and conjecture” instead of a lawful analysis of evidence, remarking that “the fouler the crime, the higher should be the proof.”

They added that “moral conviction cannot substitute legal proof.” Allowing the appeal, the HC acquitted Sahoo of all charges, discharged his bail and surety bonds, and noted that the trial court’s failure to separate “grain from chaff” rendered the entire judgment unsustainable.

Also Read

SC Acquits Death Row Convict, Says ‘Can’t Punish Merely On Moral Conviction Or Public Sentiment’