HYDERABAD: The Telangana High Court has acquitted a man who was serving a life sentence for the 2017 murder of a woman in Nizamabad, holding that the prosecution failed to establish a complete chain of circumstances proving his guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
A division bench of the High Court allowed a criminal appeal filed by Mangilal, the accused in the case, and set aside the conviction and life imprisonment imposed by the Sessions Judge, Nizamabad, on April 4, 2018, for the offence under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code. According to the prosecution, the deceased and her husband, both physically disabled and engaged in a panipuri business, had brought the accused from Rajasthan to assist them.
The prosecution alleged that the accused attempted to sexually exploit the deceased and, following resistance, fatally assaulted her with a pestle.
The High Court noted that the case rested entirely on circumstantial evidence, with no eyewitnesses to the incident. The prosecution relied mainly on the accused’s presence at the house, his subsequent conduct, and statements made to a neighbour after the incident.
However, the bench found significant gaps in the prosecution case. It observed discrepancies regarding material objects, including the description of clothing, and noted that forensic evidence failed to establish that blood found on the alleged weapon belonged to the accused.
The court held that the prosecution had failed to prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt. The bench ordered Mangilal’s immediate release from the Nizamabad District Jail, unless required in any other case.
