Arsh Dalla's father among 4 let off in 2023 Bathinda bizman's murder
'Aarti Johal, the widow of victim Harjinder Singh Johal and complainant in the case, and two employees of the deceased, Jagmail Singh and Vikram Singh, have not supported the case of the prosecution,' said the special court of sessions judge Rajesh Kumar in its order on Thursday.
The court termed the trio 'hostile' while acquitting Paramjit Singh, Kamaljit Singh, Lovely Singh and Charanjit Singh, Dalla's father, who is named in multiple heinous crimes, including extortion.
'The prosecution has not been able to prove its case against the accused beyond a reasonable doubt. The remaining witnesses/official witnesses have proved the formal investigation proceedings. There is no other independent evidence to prove the allegations levelled in the FIR. There is no substantive evidence on record to prove the charges framed against the accused,' read the judgment that was released on Friday.
Victim was gunned down outside his shop
On October 28, 2023, the victim, who was the owner of Harman Kulcha shop and a social worker, was sitting on a chair outside his shop in Bathinda city's crowded Mall Road area, when two unidentified persons fired four bullets at him and fled the spot.
The broad daylight murder, captured on a CCTV camera, had evoked political outcry, with the Opposition targeting the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for deteriorating law and order in the state.
The district police had announced a reward of ₹2 lakh for any information regarding the assailants. Following a probe, police had arrested five persons for the crime.
The fifth accused, a juvenile, was also acquitted by the same court on March 18 this year, as Aarti did not level any allegation against him.
Though a juvenile, he was declared to be treated as an adult for the trial by the Juvenile Justice Board, Bathinda.
In its acquittal order, the court had stated, 'In the absence of any substantive incriminating evidence on the record, the prosecution has miserably failed to prove the charged offences against the juvenile.'
Police got my sign on blank paper: Widow to court
During the trial, while being cross-examined in court, the victim's widow had stated that when she was in the hospital, police obtained her signatures on blank papers and she did not know what was scribed by the police on it.
She further refused to identify the accused persons present in the court, in person and through video conferencing, claiming she had never seen them before that day.
Similarly, witnesses Jagmail and Vikram, who were manager and chef at the deceased's restaurant, respectively, deposed before the court that they neither joined the investigation with the police nor their statement was ever recorded.
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