‘Evidence unreliable’: SC acquits man who spent 22 years in jail in triple murder case

The Supreme Court has acquitted Arjun Jani, who spent 22 years in prison after being convicted in a 2004 triple murder case. The acquittal came after the top court determined that the evidence presented against Jani was "unreliable."

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unreliable

The bench, comprising Justices JB Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran, also expressed dismay at the Orissa High Court's handling of the case. The High Court had dismissed Jani's appeal against his conviction on grounds of delay, a decision that the Supreme Court stated cost him an additional decade behind bars. The apex court noted that the High Court's refusal to condone a 3,157-day delay in filing the appeal had significant consequences.

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Access to justice continues to elude the marginalised sections of society

"Access to justice continues to elude the marginalised sections of society," the Supreme Court observed, highlighting Jani's situation. The court criticized the trial court for failing to properly assess the evidence and the High Court for acting as a "moot spectator" by dismissing the appeal on procedural grounds. Consequently, the Supreme Court directed the district administration and legal services authority to assist Arjun Jani in his rehabilitation and resettlement following his release.

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We are deeply dismayed, and equally perturbed by the order which rejected an application seeking condonation of delay of 3157 days and as a consequence dismissed the ‘jail memo of appeal’ against the order of conviction under Section 302 of the IPC, with sentence imposed of life imprisonment where the convict had, at the time of the impugned order suffered incarceration of 12 years and now a further period of 10 years; a total of 22 years