Judicial Vindication After Four Decades: Centenarian Cleared of Murder Conviction in Landmark Ruling

In a striking judicial development, a division bench comprising Justices Chandra Dhari Singh and Sanjiv Kumar has overturned the murder conviction of 100-year-old Dhani Ram, delivering a comprehensive acquittal after nearly forty years of legal proceedings. The 23-page ruling, dated January 21, systematically dismantles the prosecution's case, highlighting critical flaws that rendered the original conviction untenable. The bench identified multiple contradictions, including unreliable eyewitness testimony from two individuals, significant omissions in the First Information Report (FIR), and what the court described as 'inherent improbabilities' in the narrative presented. Dhani Ram, alongside co-accused Satti Din, had been convicted under IPC sections 302 read with 34 for allegedly accompanying Maiku during the fatal incident. This ruling underscores the judiciary's rigorous scrutiny of evidentiary standards and serves as a poignant reminder of the enduring pursuit of justice, even at the twilight of a defendant's life. The decision reinforces the principle that convictions must rest on robust, unequivocal evidence, free from procedural and testimonial inconsistencies.