Dead man acquitted in rape case

The man had been sentenced to life in prison in March 2002. (Representational)

The Delhi High Court has acquitted a dead man in a 25-year-old rape and murder case of his sister-in-law, and set aside the verdict of the trial court which had awarded him life imprisonment for the offences.

A bench of Justice S Muralidhar and Justice I S Mehta decided the appeal against the trial court order. It granted benefit of doubt to the man, who died on April 3, 2016, saying it was not safe to base his conviction on the dying declaration of the woman, who suffered 100% burn injuries on April 7, 1993.

The man’s case was being contested by his son following his death. The man had been charged with raping his sister-in-law at his house and setting her on fire afterwards. According to police, she died the same day. The HC said the man’s family can now persuade his former employer, a public sector undertaking to reverse its decision to dismiss him from service and release his emoluments to them.

The man had been sentenced to life in prison in March 2002.