Meghalaya High Court acquits man in 2015 Shillong murder case, cites lack of evidence

The Meghalaya High Court on June 29 acquitted a man who had been serving a life sentence for the 2015 murder of a woman in Shillong, ruling that the prosecution had failed to establish a complete chain of circumstantial evidence to prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Revati Mohite Dere and Justice W. Diengdoh set aside the conviction and sentence of Ashim Sinha, who had been found guilty under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for life along with a fine of Rs 50,000.

Sinha had challenged the August 2023 judgment of the Additional Sessions Judge, Shillong, before the High Court.

After examining the evidence on record, the High Court held that the prosecution had failed to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt and that the chain of circumstantial evidence was incomplete, entitling the appellant to the benefit of doubt.

Accordingly, the court acquitted Sinha of the murder charge and set aside the trial court's conviction and sentence.