Lucknow: A court in Barabanki has acquitted two men, including the victim’s grandson, in the 2016 murder case of Shiv Pratap Singh, citing insufficient evidence to prove their guilt beyond reasonable doubt.Additional sessions judge Parshuram, delivering the verdict, said no person can be convicted merely on suspicion and that the prosecution must establish charges through legally admissible and reliable evidence.According to the prosecution, Shiv Pratap Singh, a resident of Gangapur Sansara village under Haidergarh in Barabanki, was killed in Oct 2016. His son, Shiv Murat Singh, lodged an FIR on Oct 31, 2016, stating that his father had left home to relieve himself and did not return. The complaint said a villager, Rampher, later informed the family that Shiv Pratap Singh’s body was lying in an orchard and that there were injury marks on his neck.Police arrested Ajit Singh, the victim’s grandson, and Ajay Yadav, a resident of Jagdishpur in Amethi district, during the investigation. Investigators cited a land dispute and family animosity as the alleged motive and filed a charge sheet against the two men. The charge sheet also referred to alleged confessions.During trial, the court reviewed witness statements and documentary and material evidence and found multiple gaps. The judge noted that the claimed land dispute and family rivalry were not substantiated in court. The call detail records relied upon by investigators to connect the accused to the crime were found to be unauthenticated. The court also questioned the recovery of an axe purportedly linked to the case and pointed to contradictions in witness testimonies.Concluding that the prosecution failed to prove the charge, the court acquitted Ajit Singh and Ajay Yadav, reiterating that suspicion cannot replace proof.
