HYDERABAD: Circumstantial evidence which was “quite cogent and consistent’, combined with medical and scientific evidence helped nail the guilt of the three accused Shaik Babu (30), Shaik Shabuddin (40) and Shaik Maqdoom (35) in the Samatha rape and murder case. The three were sentenced to death by V Additional Sessions Judge M G Priyadarshini, also designated as a special judge for the Samatha case.
The horrific crime against a Dailt woman occurred in Kumurambheem Asifabad district in November, 2019.The Fast Track Court which convicted the trio on January 30, 2020, noted that the DNA report stood out as a strong piece of evidence in incriminating the accused. Evidence presented by the prosecution formed a complete chain without giving room to any other hypotheses thereby leading to the death sentence for the three accused.
This is the first judgement delivered by a specially designated fast track court in Telangana. The Telangana government has so far set up two fast track Courts. The first was in the Disha case when a 26-year-old veterinarian was raped and killed at Shadnagar in November, 2019.In the second, i.e the Samatha trial case, the court examined 25 prosecution witnesses, 32 exhibits and 21 material objects.
During the trial, eight witnesses provided circumstantial evidence in the case. This indicated that the accused followed the victim. One of the witnesses, a farmer, said he had heard the victim crying for help. But he could not find anything when he looked. A kirana shop owner testified that all the three accused who came to his shop to drink water, had blood stains on their clothes. Afterwards, they fled the village.
The accused, while pleading not guilty, had said they would prove their innocence. Owing to this, the Court had adjourned the case twice. But when they failed to do so, the court said their explanations were evasive and false.
The Court further observed, “A comprehensive study of the above circumstances clinchingly points to the involvement of accused.” (sic)
“Their acts show the accused behaved like animals and also subjected the victim to extreme harassment and showed her hell her even when she was alive and concluded that the case comes under the category of rarest of rare cases (sic),” said the court while delivering the verdict.
Witness heard victim’s cry for help
Eight witnesses provided critical circumstantial evidence. One of the witnesses said he had heard the victim crying for help. A kirana shop owner testified that all the three accused, who came to his shop to drink water, had blood stains on their clothes
HM pats Rachakonda police chief for Hajipur conviction
Home Minister Mohammed Mahmood Ali congratulated Rachakonda Commissioner of Police Mahesh M Bhagwat and his team on Friday for their relentless work in investigating the Hajipur rape and murder case.
“In a similar case, Warangal’s CP, V Ravinder, and his team had conducted a quick investigation in the rape and murder case of a nine-year-old. The investigation in both cases was concluded with the relentless effort of the State Police. The government will not tolerate any kind of crime,” the Home Minister said.