22 Years of Man’s Life Taken Away: Supreme Court acquits Odisha murder convict

Bhubaneswar: Acquitting an Odisha man who had spent nearly 22 years in jail in connection with a 2004 triple murder case in Koraput, the Supreme Court on Wednesday ruled that his conviction was based on “weak and highly unreliable” evidence.

A three-judge bench of Justices SK Singh, JB Pardiwala and K. Vinod Chandran strongly criticised the investigation and prosecution, observing that a man’s life had been taken away for over two decades without credible proof. The court said arrests based merely on suspicion, coupled with the alleged use of third-degree methods to extract confessions, violate fundamental principles of justice.

The case related to the killing of three women, Kamala, Sonbari and Ratnai, in Koraput district. The prosecution primarily relied on the testimony of a lone eyewitness who claimed to have seen the accused, Arjun Jani, attacking Ratnai late at night. However, the court found the testimony riddled with inconsistencies, including conflicting accounts of when and to whom the witness reported the incident, as well as his failure to notice the other victims despite passing through the same area.

Jani was convicted by a trial court, while his appeal in the High Court was dismissed without a hearing due to a delay of over 3,000 days. By then, he had already spent more than 12 years in prison. Although his subsequent appeal before the Supreme Court was also delayed, the apex court condoned it, noting the plea had been filed from jail and warranted consideration.

Upon examining the case, the court flagged serious lapses in the investigation. It questioned why suspicion had been directed solely at Jani and highlighted testimony suggesting police had assaulted him to extract a confession—an approach the court termed legally impermissible. The bench also pointed out contradictions in the recovery of the alleged murder weapon.

Reiterating convictions can rest on eyewitness testimony only if it is credible and consistent, the court held these standards were not met in the present case. Concluding that the prosecution had failed to establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt, the bench acquitted Jani.

The court further directed the District Legal Services Authority in Koraput to facilitate Jani’s rehabilitation and reintegration into society with assistance from the local administration.