HC upholds acquittal of 6 men caught by J&K police

The six men were acquitted on December 7, 2011 by a trial court, which rejected the prosecution story that the accused were sitting on benches put up in Manda forests and did not open fire on police personnel despite one of them allegedly in possession of a pistol and others carrying grenades.

Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court, Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir High Court, Indian Express, India news, current affairs

Upholding the trial court’s decision, Justice M A Chowdhary in his judgment dated June 7, observed that there was no evidence that the “seized weapon and the explosives were sent to any expert for examination to find out whether they were in working condition.

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: The Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh High Court has upheld the acquittal of six villagers from Mahore in Reasi district who, according to the J&K police, were LeT militants apprehended in 2004 from Manda forests with a pistol and six grenades.

The six men were acquitted on December 7, 2011 by a trial court, which rejected the prosecution story that the accused were sitting on benches put up in Manda forests and did not open fire on police personnel despite one of them allegedly in possession of a pistol and others carrying grenades.

They were booked for sedition, besides Explosive Substances Act and Indian Arms Act. The sedition charge was dropped at the time of challan presentation.

The then state (now UT) government had filed an appeal in the High Court, saying that the trial court had passed the acquittal order in a “mechanical manner” without appreciating the circumstantial and other evidence on record.

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