Cuttack: Orissa high court on Monday acquitted an elderly couple who spent over a decade in jail for allegedly murdering a temple priest, citing lack of evidence in the case.
Sarat Chandra Pani (71) and his wife, Tilotama (61), were released after the division bench of Chief Justice Chakradhari Sharan Singh and Justice Savitri Ratho overturned their 2014 conviction by the additional sessions judge, Athagarh.
The case dates back to Sept 16, 2010, when the badly burnt body of Parsuram Patri, a priest at the Dhabaleswar Temple, was discovered near the couple’s residence in Kadampatna village. The prosecution had alleged that the couple, who served as priest and kalishi (priestess) at the local Bai Thakurani temple, had killed Patri over a financial dispute.
“There was no witness to the occurrence and the prosecution failed to establish a complete chain of circumstances pointing towards the guilt of the appellants,” the HC bench observed. Out of 27 witnesses, 15 were seizure (in whose presence police seize evidence) and inquest (those present at the post-death scene) witnesses, whose testimonies did not support the murder charge.
The court noted that while the evidence might raise suspicion, it was insufficient to prove the couple’s guilt beyond reasonable doubt. “It will not be safe for us to uphold the conviction based on the nature of circumstantial evidence adduced at the trial,” the bench stated.
Advocate Lalitendu Mishra, who represented the couple along with advocate Shreya Patnaik, confirmed that his clients would be released from Dhenkanal jail once the necessary documentation is completed.