Prosecution failure leads to acquittal of Patwari in corruption case

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 4: Special Judge Anticorruption Jammu Sanjeev Gupta has acquitted Rashpal Singh, the then Patwari in a corruption case due to serious lacunae in the prosecution case.
According to the Crime Branch case, complainant Rajji Devi was in possession of land measuring 32 kanals under different Khasra numbers at village Kapoorpur in R S Pura tehsil, which was initially allotted to Nanak Chand, her husband. After his death she was enjoying the cultivation of land.
However, Patwari and Girdawar of Halqa Kapoorpur in connivance with accused Sarwan Kumar changed the Girdawari entries in order to deprive Rajji Devi of landed property.
On the basis of complaint, preliminary verification was conducted in which allegations leveled by Rajji Devi were substantiated and accordingly FIR was registered against the accused persons. After completion of investigation challan was presented in the court of law.
After hearing Senior Advocate B S Slathia for the accused whereas CPO for the Crime Branch, Special Judge Anticorruption observed, “the prosecution has examined number of witnesses during the trial but nothing substantial has come in their evidence to show the involvement of accused persons in the crime”.
“The conclusion that emerges from the discussion is that the prosecution case has so many serious lacunae. The oral as well as documentary evidence led by the prosecution is short of proving the guilt against the accused.  Therefore, it would not be safe to fasten criminal liability on the accused on the basis of such evidence  meaning thereby that prosecution has miserably failed not only to prove its case against accused with regard to the offences under Prevention of Corruption Act but also other offences with which both the accused have been charged”, the court further said.
Accordingly, prosecution case was dismissed and accused acquitted.

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