The Allahabad High Court has acquitted four men who had been sentenced to death in the 2017 Budaun double murder case, ruling that the prosecution failed to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
A division bench of Justice Atul Sreedharan and Justice Achal Sachdev ordered that the four accused—Vijay Pal, Ramveer, Kishan Lal and his wife Jaldhara—be released immediately if they are not wanted in any other case. The bench set aside the death reference and allowed the appeal.
The four men were convicted by a Budaun trial court on September 22, 2022, for the murders of Govind and Asha on May 14, 2017. They were sentenced to death under sections 302 and 34 of the Indian Penal Code and fined Rs 50,000.
The High Court found that eyewitness testimony was doubtful, the investigating officer had not examined immediate neighbours, and seizure witnesses were not interviewed. Inconsistencies were noted regarding the weapon used, and forensic analysis could not determine the blood group of the human blood found. The prosecution’s evidence was deemed insufficient to establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt.
