In a significant development, the Uttarakhand High Court has acquitted the main accused, Raju Das, and three others in the 2014 murder of a couple in Chakrata, Dehradun. The lower court had previously sentenced Raju Das to death and his associates—Kundan Das, Guddu, and Babloo—to life imprisonment.
The case, which drew considerable attention, involved the murder of Abhijeet Pal and Momita Das, who had traveled from Delhi to Chakrata for the Diwali holidays. They were reported missing the day after their arrival, and subsequent police investigations traced the involvement of Raju Das and his associates.
The High Court’s decision came after finding insufficient evidence in the records to uphold the convictions. The verdict was reserved last month by a division bench comprising Justices Ravindra Maithani and Alok Kumar Verma, following detailed hearings.
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The initial sentence was handed down by the Additional District and Sessions Judge, Dhakrani Mohammad Sultan, on March 27, 2018. However, the accused challenged the verdict in the High Court, leading to their eventual acquittal.
This latest judgment has raised questions about the handling of evidence and the investigative processes in high-profile criminal cases.
