New Delhi [India], October 28 (ANI): A Delhi court has granted regular bail to a woman accused of conspiring to murder her husband, noting that she had spent more than four years in custody, the investigation had been completed, and key prosecution witnesses had already been examined during the trial.
Additional Sessions Judge Muneesh Garg of the Rohini Courts allowed the woman’s third bail application in a murder conspiracy case registered at Begumpur police station.
According to the prosecution, the case dates back to February 21, 2022, when police received information about a man found injured near Sector 24 in Rohini. The victim was taken to Dr BSA Hospital, where he was declared brought dead.
The prosecution alleged that the murder was the outcome of a pre-planned conspiracy involving the woman and other accused persons.
It was further alleged that the woman, who was married to the deceased, was in contact with another accused and had informed him about her husband’s movements shortly before the incident. The prosecution’s case against her is based on CCTV footage, call detail records, electronic evidence, financial transactions and witness statements.
Seeking bail, advocate Ravi Drall, appearing for the woman, argued that she was not present at the crime scene and that no firearm, weapon or other incriminating article had been recovered from her possession. The defence further submitted that the allegations of conspiracy were sought to be established primarily through circumstantial and electronic evidence.
Opposing the plea, the State argued that the allegations were serious and that the woman had played an active role in the alleged conspiracy. The prosecution also expressed apprehension that her release could affect the trial, pointing out that only 16 of the 40 prosecution witnesses had been examined.
After hearing the parties, the court noted that the woman was not alleged to have personally carried out the assault and that no firearm or weapon used in the offence had been recovered from her.
The court also took into account that she had been in custody since February 22, 2022, the investigation had been completed, and the charge sheet had been filed. The case was currently at the stage of prosecution evidence.
Significantly, the court noted that the father and daughter of the deceased, whose testimonies were relied upon by the prosecution regarding the circumstances preceding the incident, had already been examined during the trial.
During the bail proceedings, the defence also undertook that the woman would not visit her matrimonial home at Pal Colony in Rithala, Delhi, after her release. She further undertook not to initiate civil proceedings concerning the said property or any property belonging to or inherited by her deceased husband during the pendency of the trial.
Considering the period of incarceration and the stage of the proceedings, the court held that further detention was not warranted and granted her regular bail.
The court directed her release upon furnishing a personal bond of with one surety of the like amount, subject to the conditions stipulated in the order.
The allegations against the woman remain subject to adjudication in the ongoing trial. (ANI)
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