Pulwama, Feb 16, CNS: The Court of Additional Sessions Judge Pulwama on Monday acquitted an accused in a nearly two-decade-old murder case, ruling that the prosecution failed to prove the charges beyond reasonable doubt.
The case dates back to August 28, 2007, when Police Choki Keller recovered the body of Mohammad Yousuf Kalas, son of Sharief-ud-Din Kalas of Nasarpora, near a water tank. An FIR numbered 79/2007 was registered and, following investigation, a chargesheet was filed against three accused persons.
During the course of proceedings, two of the accused passed away. The remaining accused, Riyaz Ahmad Kohli of Pulwama, continued to face trial and contested the allegations through his legal counsel.
The prosecution examined ten witnesses cited in the challan. After closure of prosecution evidence, the statement of the accused was recorded under Section 342 of the Code of Criminal Procedure on May 22, 2025. Final arguments were heard on June 20, 2025.
After evaluating the entire material on record, the court observed that the prosecution had not produced cogent, reliable and legally admissible evidence linking the accused to the commission of the offence. The court noted that apart from documents placed on record in compliance with its orders, no defence evidence was produced by the accused.
However, taking into account the overall circumstances and the evidentiary record, the court held that the participation of the accused in the alleged crime was not established beyond reasonable doubt.
Accordingly, Riyaz Ahmad Kohli was acquitted of all charges (CNS)
