Home / Crime and Justice / Supreme Court Awards ₹6 Lakh for 6 Years Lost in Jail
Supreme Court Awards ₹6 Lakh for 6 Years Lost in Jail
27 Oct
Summary
- Court awarded ₹6 lakh compensation for six years spent in jail.
- Investigating police were blamed for a flawed probe.
- Man was acquitted after being wrongly implicated in a murder case.
The Supreme Court has awarded ₹6 lakh in compensation to an undertrial who spent six years in jail before being acquitted of murder charges. The bench of justices JB Pardiwala and K Vinod Chandran criticized the Uttar Pradesh police's investigation as "slipshod" and "haphazard," stating it jeopardized the man's life and liberty. The court directed the state government to pay the compensation within one month, effectively awarding ₹1 lakh for every year of the man's lost freedom.
This ruling underscores the judiciary's commitment to justice, emphasizing that the State cannot abdicate its responsibility to protect citizens. The man was implicated in a kidnapping and murder case registered in Agra district in October 2019. He was neither named in the initial FIR nor the first police statement, later being implicated based on unclear CCTV footage and a co-accused's confession.
The court found significant investigative failures, including the charred bones never being conclusively identified, the time and cause of death remaining unestablished, and crucial evidence lacking proper certification. The bench stressed that investigating and prosecuting agencies must strive for justice for all, not just convictions.
