Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
The Supreme Court has acquitted an Odisha man who spent 22 years in prison after being wrongly convicted in a triple murder case, calling his prolonged incarceration a “collective failure” of the country’s criminal justice system.
The man, Arjun Jani, was convicted in the 2004 murder of three women in Odisha’s Nabarangpur district and spent more than two decades behind bars after being subjected to third-degree methods during interrogation.
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A three-judge bench of the Supreme Court expressed serious concern over the miscarriage of justice, observing that Jani had been deprived of his liberty for 22 years despite the absence of credible evidence against him.
The court said the loss of more than two decades of an individual’s freedom without sufficient proof reflected a “collective failure” of the criminal justice system.
The case dates back to 2004, when three women were murdered in Nabarangpur district. Jani was subsequently arrested after an alleged eyewitness claimed to have seen him at the crime scene.
According to the Supreme Court, the police arrested Jani largely on suspicion and allegedly subjected him to third-degree methods during interrogation to extract a confession. The purported confession became a key part of the prosecution’s case and eventually led to his conviction.
Re-examining the evidence and the manner in which the investigation was conducted, the Supreme Court held that the prosecution had failed to establish Jani’s guilt beyond reasonable doubt. The Bench found that his conviction could not be sustained in the absence of reliable and legally admissible evidence.
The Supreme Court subsequently acquitted Jani of all charges, bringing an end to his 22-year incarceration. The court also flagged serious shortcomings in the investigation and the criminal justice process that resulted in his prolonged loss of liberty.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
