Crime
Mere recovery of blood-stained weapon matching deceased’s blood group not sufficient to prove murder: SC
suprim court
New Delhi, June 27: Upholding the acquittal of an accused, the Supreme Court has ruled that mere recovery of a blood-stained weapon bearing the same blood group as that of the deceased would not be sufficient to prove the charge of murder.
A bench of Justices Sandeep Mehta and P.B. Varale was dealing with a criminal appeal filed by the Rajasthan government challenging a judgment of the Rajasthan High Court, which had acquitted the respondent-accused of the offence of murder.
In its impugned order, a division bench set aside the judgment passed by the Additional Sessions Judge in December 2008, which had convicted the respondent for the offence punishable under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 and sentenced him to undergo life imprisonment and pay a fine of Rs 100, and in default of payment of fine, to further undergo 3 months simple imprisonment.
During the trial, the respondent was charged with the murder of Chotu Lal, which took place on the intervening night of March 1 and 2, 2007.
Initially, an FIR was filed against unknown assailants, and at a later stage, the respondent was arraigned in the case on the basis of suspicion and circumstantial evidence.
The prosecution led circumstantial evidence in the form of motive, alleging the respondent was having an evil eye on the wife of the deceased; recovery of the weapon of offence and the FSL report indicating that the blood group on the weapon matched with the blood group of the deceased (B +ve).
Contrary to the findings of the trial court, the Rajasthan High Court opined that the prosecution could not prove the complete chain of circumstances required to bring home the guilt of the accused in the case, which was based entirely on circumstantial evidence, and proceeded to acquit the respondent.
Concurring with the view taken by the Rajasthan HC, the Justice Mehta-led Bench said: “We find that the incriminating circumstances relied upon by the prosecution, i.e., the motive and the recovery of the blood stained weapon, even taken in conjunction cannot constitute the complete chain of incriminating circumstances required to bring home the charges against the accused.”
“The High Court seems to have overlooked the FSL report, which fact was stressed upon by learned counsel for the appellant (state government). However, in our view, even if the FSL report is taken into account, then also, other than the fact that the weapon recovered at the instance of the accused tested positive for the same blood group as that of the deceased (B +ve), nothing much turns on the said report,” it added.
The apex court, relying upon a previous judgment of the apex court, opined that mere recovery of a blood-stained weapon even bearing the same blood group of the victim would not be sufficient to prove the charge of murder.
It discarded the theory of motive, saying the evidence in that regard seems to be very vague and vacillating.
The Justice Mehta-led Bench added that the law is well settled by a catena of apex court decisions that in an appeal against acquittal, interference can only be made if the only possible view based on the evidence points to the guilt of the accused and rules out his innocence.
Dismissing the appeal of the state government, the Supreme Court said: “In the present case, we are duly satisfied that the prosecution failed to lead clinching evidence to bring home the charges. The only possible view is the one taken by the High Court, i.e., the innocence of the accused.”
Crime
NEET aspirant dies by suicide in Delhi days before re-exam

New Delhi, June 17: Days before lakhs of students are set to appear for the NEET-UG re-examination on June 21, a NEET aspirant allegedly died by suicide in Delhi.
The deceased, identified as Renu, lived with her family in the Palam area of South-West Delhi. According to reports, she had appeared for the NEET examination on May 3 and had reportedly been suffering from depression after the examination was cancelled.
Police said that on June 13, Renu’s father had gone to his in-laws’ residence following the death of his father-in-law. Renu was alone at home when the incident occurred. She allegedly died by hanging herself on the evening of June 13.
A suicide note recovered from the spot revealed her emotional distress. In the note, she apologised to her parents and wrote that she had been unable to fulfil their aspirations. The family is originally from Rajasthan.
The incident comes amid growing concern over the mental well-being of students preparing for highly competitive examinations, particularly after the controversy surrounding the NEET examination and allegations of paper leaks.
Earlier this week, a 22-year-old NEET aspirant died by suicide in Rajasthan’s Sikar district. The student, identified as Umesh Mali, was preparing for his third attempt at the NEET examination, which is scheduled to be held on June 21.
This was the second case of a NEET aspirant dying by suicide in Sikar, highlighting the mounting pressure faced by students preparing for competitive entrance examinations.
According to police, Umesh was a native of Nawalgarh in Jhunjhunu district. His father works as a tile contractor in Mumbai. Umesh had been residing in a flat in the Udyog Nagar police station area of Sikar along with his mother, elder sister, and younger brother while preparing for the examination.
In another similar incident reported on Tuesday, a 23-year-old woman in Dehradun allegedly ended her life after reportedly struggling to clear the NEET examination. She left behind a note addressed to her parents that read, “Mummy-Papa, I love you.”
According to investigators, preliminary findings suggest that she had been preparing for the NEET examination for a long time and aspired to pursue a career in medicine.
Meanwhile, NTA Director General Abhishek Singh on Tuesday assured aspirants that the re-examination would be conducted in a secure and error-free manner, while cautioning students and parents against social media rackets claiming to sell “leaked papers” for hefty sums.
In a video message, Singh said there was “no leaked paper for the re-exam” and warned candidates against falling prey to fraudsters operating through Telegram channels.
He said the temporary suspension of the Telegram application till June 22 was aimed at curbing fake news and misleading claims relating to the examination.
Crime
CISF foils smuggling bid at IGI Airport; seizes 1.21 kg gold, unaccounted cash

New Delhi, June 17: The CISF personnel at Terminal-1 of Indira Gandhi International Airport on Wednesday intercepted a passenger bound for Kolkata after noticing suspicious behaviour during security screening. A detailed frisking led to the recovery of 1.210 kg of gold concealed in the passenger’s clothing, along with Rs 1,97,200 in unaccounted cash. Upon questioning, the passenger failed to produce any valid documents or provide a satisfactory explanation regarding the recovered items.
During the proceedings, the passenger allegedly attempted to influence the on-duty CISF personnel to avoid legal action. However, the CISF staff displayed exemplary integrity by rejecting the offer and promptly reporting the matter to senior authorities.
The passenger, along with the seized gold and cash, was subsequently handed over to the Income Tax Department for further investigation and legal action.
The successful interception highlights the vigilance, professionalism, and unwavering integrity of CISF personnel in safeguarding the nation’s civil aviation sector and reinforces their commitment to the motto of ensuring “Safe Airports, Secure Nation”.
Earlier on June 4, the CISF personnel intercepted a foreign national at the Mumbai airport and recovered illicit foreign currency worth Rs 1.39 crore, being carried by him in his luggage.
The foreign national was subsequently taken into custody and handed over to the Customs officials at the airport for further interrogation and action.
According to CISF officials, the said passenger was travelling from Mumbai to Addis Ababa with the unaccounted cash.
The foreign national, while checking in for the scheduled flight, came under the scanner of vigilant officials after the latter observed some suspicious objects in his baggage during screening at the X-BIS system. The X-ray image of his belongings created some suspicion, prompting the CISF officials to carry out a detailed examination of his hand luggage.
It was during baggage screening that the CISF personnel stumbled upon a suspicious bag, belonging to a traveller of foreign origin, and then dug deeper into the scanned image. An uncleared foreign currency amounting to USD 145,000 (approx Rs 1.39 crore) was found in his bag and subsequently seized by the authorities.
Crime
Accused in Rs 2 crore Pune embezzlement case arrested in Nashik

Nashik (Maharashtra), June 16: An absconding accused in a Rs 2 crore embezzlement case registered in Pune was arrested in Maharashtra’s Nashik on Tuesday, police said.
According to a complaint filed by Kiran Dadasaheb Shinde, 38, with Pune police, the responsibility for flat sales and related activities across four buildings (A, B, C, and D) of the ‘Ganga Fernhill’ project had been entrusted to Senior Sales Manager Simon Ronnie Peter, 42, but he allegedly, instead of depositing the proceeds from flat sales into the company’s account, transferred the funds to a fraudulent private bank account belonging to his associate, B. Chandrashekhar, thereby embezzling approximately Rs 2 crore collected from 32 customers.
Based on the complaint, a case was registered at Pune’s Kalepadal Police Station on June 9 (Crime No. 257/2026), under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.
However, following the registration of the case, Peter went absconding and even switched off his mobile phone to evade arrest.
During the course of the investigation, Pune police received information that the accused was hiding in Nashik city and officials from Kalepadal Police Station contacted Senior Police Inspector Ashok Sharmale of the Gangapur Police Station and sought assistance in tracing and apprehending Peter.
Acting on credible intelligence, Sharmale learned that the accused Peter had arrived in Nashik in a car and was staying in Room No. 301 of Hotel Treebo Sapphire in Kalenagar on Gangapur Road.
Upon receiving the information, Crime Investigation Team officer Ghanshyam Bhoye and his team were immediately dispatched to the location. Acting swiftly, the police team detained the accused and subsequently handed him over to the Pune police for further legal proceedings.
The operation was successfully carried out under the leadership of Senior Police Inspector Sharmale of the Gangapur Police Station, and his team, including Assistant Sub-Inspector Tushar Deore and Police Head Constables Ravindra Mohite, Girish Mahale, Bhagwat Thavil, Ghanshyam Bhoye, Pravin Kedare, Gorakh Salunke, Sujit Jadhav, and Tulshidas Chaudhary.
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