INDIA: SC ACQUITS TWO SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR TRIPLE MURDER

November 14, 2008: slamming the Madhya Pradesh Government for shoddy prosecution, the Indian Supreme Court acquitted two people sentenced to death for allegedly committing a triple murder in the court premises of the additional sessions judge Bhopal.
The apex court acquitted the accused Asif Mammu and Javed both sentenced to death by the Madhya Pradesh High Court for the murder of Saleem Baba, Saleem Bucha and another person in 1996 by firing at them with revolvers.
The sessions court acquitted the accused but the high court, on appeal from the State, convicted the duo and sentenced them to death. The apex court after perusal of the records noted that the prosecution had miserably failed to record the evidence of several court staff that were key eye-witnesses.
The bench also noted that some of the private advocates had connived with the accused in destroying the evidence. The killing was to silence the victims who were said to be witnesses in some criminal cases. (Sources: Zeenews.com, 14/11/2008)