Man Acquitted After Seven Years in Custody for Wife's Alleged Murder

The Allahabad High Court acquitted Hafeez Khan, jailed for over seven years for his wife's murder, citing a lack of evidence. The court directed his immediate release and ordered the Uttar Pradesh government to compensate him with Rs 1 lakh. Khan had been imprisoned since January 2017.

The Allahabad High Court has acquitted Hafeez Khan, who had been imprisoned for over seven years for the alleged murder of his wife, Saira Bano. The court ruled that the prosecution failed to establish the true identity of the exhumed body, believed to be Bano's.

A bench of justices AR Masoodi and Subhash Vidyarthi directed the immediate release of Khan, who has been in custody since January 15, 2017. The judges also mandated the Uttar Pradesh government to compensate Khan with Rs 1 lakh for the time spent in custody.

The court noted that there was no evidence proving Bano's death or identifying the exhumed body as hers. It criticized the lower court's conviction, emphasizing that the prosecution failed to address crucial evidence. The decision highlights a significant miscarriage of justice and the limitations of the investigative process.

(With inputs from agencies.)