Allahabad HC Acquits 100-Year-Old Man in 1982 Murder Case

Allahabad: The Allahabad High Court has acquitted an elderly man who was sentenced to life imprisonment in connection with a 1982 murder case, citing extraordinary delay in hearing the appeal and granting the benefit of doubt.

A Division Bench comprising Justices Chandradhari Singh and Sanjeev Kumar set aside the life sentence imposed on Dhaniram by a Hamirpur Sessions Court in 1984. Dhaniram’s appeal against the conviction had been pending before the High Court for over 40 years. Now aged around 100, he was acquitted considering both the prolonged delay and his advanced age.

The case relates to the August 1982 murder of a man named Ganwa in Hamirpur district, allegedly over a land dispute. The prosecution claimed that even though Maiku, the primary accused, fired the fatal shot, Dhaniram and his associate Satti Din instigated the attack against the victim. The trial court convicted Dhaniram and Satti Din for murder, while the primary accused Maiku has been absconding since.

Both convicts approached the High Court challenging the verdict and were granted bail during the pendency of the appeal. However, the case witnessed an unusually long delay. During this period, co-accused Satti Din passed away. The Bench noted that the main accused Maiku has still not been arrested, and observed that the age of the appellant and the inordinate delay in adjudication could not be ignored.

Allowing the appeal, the High Court set aside the conviction, acquitted Dhaniram of all charges, and ordered the cancellation of bail bonds.