Blood on the Badge: Cop Found Guilty of Killing Lover of His Wife.
03 July 2024
Evidence >> Criminal Law | Murder Homicide >> Criminal Law
In a verdict by the Supreme Court of India, a police officer has been convicted of murdering a man inside a police station. The appellant, who goes unnamed in the judgement, was found guilty by both the trial court and the high court. He has been sentenced to life imprisonment.
The case involved a love triangle. The deceased was having an extramarital affair with the appellant's wife. The prosecution successfully argued that the appellant, motivated by jealousy, shot the deceased multiple times with his service weapon.
The defense argued that the appellant acted in self-defense, claiming the deceased came to the station with the intention of killing him. However, the court found no evidence to support this claim.
Several eyewitnesses, including other police officers present at the station, testified that they saw the appellant shoot the deceased. The nature of the injuries and the number of shots fired were also considered by the court to point towards a deliberate act of murder, not self-defense.
The appellant also attempted to argue that the crime fell under the category of "grave and sudden provocation," a legal concept in India that can reduce a murder charge to a lesser offense. The court rejected this argument as well, finding that the provocation was not sufficient to justify the killing.
The Supreme Court upheld the lower court's decision and dismissed the appeal. The appellant is required to surrender himself within four weeks to serve his remaining sentence.