Delhi court acquits man accused of stabbing sister-in-law after witnesses turn hostile

Delhi court acquits man accused of stabbing sister-in-law after witnesses turn hostile

New Delhi, A Delhi court has acquitted a man accused of attempting to kill his sister-in-law by stabbing her with a knife, saying the prosecution failed to prove the charges after the victim, the complainant and an eyewitness did not support its case during the trial.

Delhi court acquits man accused of stabbing sister-in-law after witnesses turn hostile

Additional Sessions Judge Pawan Kumar was hearing a case against Pankaj Jha, who was accused in a case registered at the Fatehpur Beri police station under charges of attempted murder and house trespass.

In an order dated August 8, the court said, "Not a scintilla of evidence has come on record against the accused for the offence under sections 307/452 of the IPC, in view of the hostile testimony of the eyewitness. Hence, I have no hesitation in holding that the prosecution has failed to prove the guilt of the accused beyond all reasonable doubts."

According to the prosecution, the accused allegedly attacked Ganga Jha on April 18, 2023, after she advised his wife, with whom he had a matrimonial dispute, to get a police complaint lodged against him. It was alleged that he entered her house carrying a knife and stabbed her in the abdomen.

During the trial, however, the injured woman, the complainant and an eyewitness gave a different version of the events. They told the court that a quarrel broke out between the accused and the complainant, during which the woman was pushed, she fell to the ground and was injured due to some object lying there. They denied that the accused had stabbed her with a knife.

The court noted that all three material witnesses had turned hostile and not supported the prosecution's allegations.

While a knife seized from the scene was found to have traces of the injured woman's blood, the court said there was no evidence linking the accused to the weapon, including any fingerprint. It said the witnesses had specifically denied that the accused used the knife to attack the woman.

Holding that the prosecution had failed to establish the accused's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, the court acquitted Jha of all charges.

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