CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has acquitted a person of the charges of killing his wife, 22 years after he challenged the trial court judgment sentencing him to life imprisonment.
Jayaram Sahoo of Jhatiapada village under Dharamsala police limits was convicted for the murder of his wife Saria and sentenced to life imprisonment by the court of additional sessions judge, Jajpur on January 7, 2000.
Jayaram had challenged the trial court order the same year. The High Court set aside the trial court verdict on Thursday. The division bench of Chief Justice S Muralidhar and Justice R K Pattanaik said the prosecution had in the case failed to establish a chain of circumstances.
“Neither are the circumstances relied upon by the prosecution of a conclusive nature nor do they exclude every possible hypothesis except the one to be proved. Further, the chain of evidence is not so complete as not to leave any reasonable ground for the conclusion consistent with the innocence of the accused. It does not unerringly point to the guilt of the accused,” the bench said.
Sahoo had stated that while carrying Saria on his bicycle as a pillion, he met with an accident. As a result, Saria fell down on the road and sustained injuries that led to her death.