Court acquits Anantnag man in wife’s 2017 death case, cites prosecution lapses

Srinagar, Sep 2: A court in Anantnag has acquitted a man accused of murdering his pregnant wife in 2017, ruling that prosecutors failed to present reliable evidence and pointing to serious flaws in the police investigation.

Bilal Ahmad Sofi, 45, of Kanelwan village in Bijbehara, was arrested soon after the death of his wife, Sumi Jan, on February 25, 2017. Prosecutors alleged Sofi assaulted Jan, kicking her in the abdomen and dragging her by her hair, leading to her death at her in-laws’ home.

Principal District and Sessions Judge Tahir Khurshid Raina delivered the verdict Monday, saying the prosecution “miserably failed” to prove Sofi’s guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. The prosecution relied heavily on the testimony of Jan’s two minor siblings, who claimed to have witnessed the incident. But the court found their accounts inconsistent, calling their conduct “suspicious” and “unnatural.”

The judge said delays in reporting the incident, contradictions in witness statements, and the absence of medical or forensic evidence linking the alleged assault to Jan’s death. Forensic samples, including seized hair, were never sent for testing.

Contradicting the prosecution’s claims of domestic abuse, several family members testified that Sofi and Jan had cordial relations. In her final moments, Jan reportedly told her mother to take care of her husband and children , a statement the court said undermined the murder allegations. The court also criticized police for “serious procedural lapses,” including delays in recording witness statements and failure to collect vital evidence.

“The benefit of doubt must go to the accused,” Judge Raina ruled, ordering Sofi’s acquittal, release, and discharge of bail bonds. Seized property will be destroyed after the appeal period expires.”