M A I N   N E W S

Jyoti murder case
Himachal MLA, 11 others acquitted
Hina Rohtaki
Tribune News Service

Panchkula, September 11
A Panchkula fast-track court today acquitted Himachal Pradesh MLA Ram Kumar Chaudhary and 11 others in the Jyoti murder case after the prosecution failed to prove charges against them.

After a 16-month trial, the verdict was pronounced by the special crime against women court of additional sessions judge Roopam Singh. The prosecution failed to prove any major charges, including that of murder, fraud and destruction of evidence, against the Congress legislator from Doon constituency of Solan district and others.

Defence counsels AS Sukhija and Amandeep Bindra said all were acquitted after the court found no evidence against them. They said all evidences which the police termed crucial for the MLA’s arrest — hair strands recovered from Jyoti’s sweater, call details and mobile locations, her abortion — failed to prove the MLA’s involvement in the crime.

Besides Chaudhary, those acquitted are his nephews Gurmeet and Dharampal, friend Paramjit, truck driver Tilak Raj (arrested for main crime), Harbhajan Chaudhary, Kamaljeet, Baljeet, Nirmal (arrested for harbouring the main accused) and Ashish, Pankaj Bhandari and Satish (arrested for giving SIM cards on fake identities).

“Jyoti used to stay as a paying guest. On November 21, 2012, she told her landlady Ruby that she was going home (Hoshiarpur). Thereafter, her call location was traced to Mohali, airport chowk, but the prosecution could not prove where she was and with whom,” the defense counsel said. Also, the report of samples sent for re-examination from the Karnal CFSL to the lab in Chandigarh favoured the MLA. The hair samples of none of the accused matched with those seized from Jyoti’s clothes.

The DVR report of the CCTV footage of the Chandigarh-based nursing home, where Jyoti allegedly underwent abortion, revealed that the data could not be retrieved.

The report on the car’s seat covers where Jyoti was reportedly strangled stated that the covers showed no signs of the incident. Report regarding the presence of semen on Jyoti’s clothes was also negative.

Jyoti’s father Buti Ram broke down after the verdict. He alleged: “Everyone from top to bottom is corrupt. I will approach the Supreme Court. I have lost my daughter. Even if I need to sell my house to seek justice for her, I will.”

According to the chargesheet, the MLA had relations with Jyoti and had promised to marry her. Later, he refused and killed her with the help of his aides