Ghaziabad man acquitted of wife’s ‘murder’; court says prosecution failed to prove body was hers

Poddar, a resident of Bihar’s Darbhanga district, was taken into custody on August 28, 2018, following his wife Sanjana’s disappearance. He remained incarcerated throughout the trial, after the Allahabad High Court declined to grant him bail.

On behalf of the defence, the advocates for the accused told the court that the case was based on circumstantial evidence and there was no direct substantial evidence available to prove that the deceased was seen being murdered by any person.

“There appear to be decisive contradictions among the witnesses presented and examined by the prosecution. It was also argued that the investigating officer presented the charge sheet contrary to the actual facts without understanding the core of the incident. It was also argued that there is no motive or enmity for the incident in question,” the court order stated.

On August 19, 2018, Poddar approached the Vijaynagar police station to report that his wife, Sanjana, had gone missing. On August 25, 2018, the police recovered the body of an unidentified woman from a drain. Sanjana’s brother later claimed the body was hers and accused Poddar of being responsible. A criminal case was registered on August 27, 2018, and Poddar was arrested a day later.

During the proceedings, the defence consistently challenged the prosecution’s assertion regarding the identity of the deceased. Counsel for Poddar argued that the body was in a severely decomposed and mutilated condition, making identification unreliable. The prosecution, they submitted, failed to explain how the complainant recognised the body, and no independent evidence was brought on record to confirm that the remains were Sanjana’s.

Another body, of an unidentified child, was later found at the same location. The failure to establish the child’s identity, coupled with the condition of both bodies, raised further questions about the prosecution’s version of events.

The defence also highlighted that the couple’s three children were living with Poddar at the time, contradicting suggestions of circumstances pointing to domestic violence or foul play.

Failed to prove motive: court

In its order, the court drew attention to inconsistencies between the physical details recorded during the inquest and post-mortem examination and the description of Sanjana provided by her family. These inconsistencies, the court observed, undermined the prosecution’s claim that the recovered body belonged to the missing woman.

Investigators submitted the chargesheet on November 6, 2018, and also invoked provisions of the Arms Act, alleging recovery of a knife used in the offence. However, the court expressed scepticism about the alleged recovery, noting that it was shown to have been made from a busy public road, without the presence or testimony of any independent witnesses.

Holding that the prosecution had failed to prove motive, establish disposal of evidence, or link the accused to the alleged crime through reliable circumstances, the court extended the benefit of doubt to Poddar and acquitted him of all charges.