New Delhi: The Supreme Court has directed the Uttar Pradesh government to pay ₹6 lakh in reparation to a man who spent nearly six years in jail as an undertrial in a murder case, strongly criticising the police for a “slipshod investigation” and the prosecution for its handling of the case.
A bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran said the man had become a “victim of the system”, observing that six years of his life had been lost on the basis of a “concocted story” founded on surmises and conjectures.
The court directed the state government to pay the compensation within one month, acknowledging that the amount was “paltry” compared with the years the petitioner had spent in custody.
Emphasising the responsibility of the state to protect citizens’ rights, the bench said investigating and prosecuting agencies must work to ensure justice rather than secure convictions by any means. It stressed that the criminal justice system must safeguard the rights of the accused as well as those of victims and complainants.
The petitioner had been in custody since November 14, 2019, in a murder case registered in Agra. He had approached the Supreme Court after the Allahabad High Court rejected his bail plea in January.
On March 23, the apex court had directed the trial court to conclude the proceedings within three months. Following the completion of the trial, the petitioner was acquitted after the court found that the prosecution had failed to establish any of the four circumstances relied upon to implicate him, including electronic evidence.
Describing the case as an example of how an investigation should not be conducted, the Supreme Court expressed concern over the consequences of a flawed probe and an inadequate prosecution for an individual’s life and liberty.
The bench also directed that a copy of its judgment be sent to the Director General of Police and the Home Secretary of Uttar Pradesh, urging the state to educate police personnel on proper investigation procedures.
