Delhi Court acquits 3 of attempt to murder charge in 2018 stabbing case, convicts them of hurt and restraint

A Delhi court has acquitted three men of an attempt to murder charge in a 2018 stabbing case, ruling that the prosecution failed to establish beyond reasonable doubt that they shared an intention to kill the victim.

However, the court convicted Manoj, Manish and Puran for voluntarily causing hurt and wrongful restraint, finding that their involvement in beating and restraining the victim was established through his testimony and medical evidence.

Additional Sessions Judge Muneesh Garg, in an order dated August 24, said the knife injuries had been specifically attributed to co-accused Rajender, who died while the trial was underway. The court found no clear evidence that the three surviving accused had used the knife or encouraged Rajender to inflict a fatal injury.

The court also noted that medical evidence did not establish that the injuries were life-threatening, while CCTV footage did not capture the assault.

According to the prosecution, Bharat Singh was walking through a park in Mangolpuri on May 1, 2018, when Manoj, Manish, Rajender and Puran allegedly surrounded him. While three of them allegedly restrained Singh, Rajender stabbed him with a knife.

Singh suffered three stab wounds, but medical records classified the injuries as simple and noted that their depth was uncertain. There was no medical opinion that the injuries posed a danger to his life, nor was there evidence of damage to a vital organ, emergency surgery or prolonged hospitalisation.

The court also pointed out that the alleged knife was not recovered from any of the surviving accused. A video showed Rajender carrying a knife but did not record the actual assault, while CCTV footage did not establish the stabbing or clearly show the participation of the accused.

The court said it would be unsafe to conclude beyond reasonable doubt that the surviving accused possessed the intention or knowledge required for an offence under Section 307 of the IPC.

While acknowledging that the knife injuries were serious, the court held that the prosecution had failed to prove the necessary intention or knowledge to cause death and granted the three accused the benefit of doubt on the attempt to murder charge.

At the same time, the court found sufficient evidence that the men had caught, beaten and wrongfully restrained Singh. They were convicted under Sections 323 and 341, read with Section 34 of the IPC.

Proceedings against Rajender ended after his death during the trial.

with inputs from PTI