Mohali: Almost six years after three persons were arrested following the alleged seizure of 1kg heroin, a Mohali special court has acquitted all three, finding contradictions in the statements of a DSP and other police officials who testified in the case.Special court judge Hardip Singh held that the prosecution had failed to prove the charges beyond reasonable doubt, with discrepancies in the testimonies of DSP Gursher Singh Sandhu and other police witnesses making the prosecution version difficult to rely upon.The three accused included Sachin Kumar.Appearing for the accused, advocate C S Bawa said the court, while extending the benefit of doubt to them, observed that they had successfully rebutted the presumption drawn against them. The investigating agency, the court held, had failed to place on record the evidence required to establish their guilt beyond reasonable doubt.The case stemmed from the alleged seizure of 1kg heroin in May 2020. During the trial, the prosecution relied substantially on the statements of police officials associated with the investigation and recovery proceedings. The defence, however, questioned the consistency and credibility of their testimonies.After examining the evidence, the court found that contradictions in the statements of the police witnesses raised reasonable doubt over the prosecution case, entitling the accused to its benefit.“Thus, collectively these facts reveal that the accused have rebutted the presumption drawn against them and doubt in the prosecution story takes this court to the conclusion that the investigating agency could not prove on record the entire evidence required to prove the guilt of the accused beyond a reasonable shadow of doubt,” the court observed.The court consequently acquitted all three accused of the charges framed against them.The court directed that their bail and surety bonds remain in force for six months under Section 437-A of the CrPC, after which they would stand discharged automatically. The case property, if any, would be disposed of according to rules after the limitation period for filing an appeal or revision expires, the court added.
