Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 2: Principal Sessions Judge, Jammu RS Jain today acquitted former NC MLC Trilochan Singh Wazir, contractor Nagar Singh alias Nago and eight others in the much publicized murder of RB Chopra alias Raju Chopra, a contractor and his two family members and two servants on the intervening night of September 17 and 18, 2006 committed at his residence in Trikuta Nagar.
The Judge, however, convicted Sangram Singh and Nanju.
Raju Chopra, his wife Madhu Chopra and daughter Saloni Chopra and two servants were found murdered in brutal manner at Chopra’s Trikuta Nagar residence.
Pronouncing the judgment, Mr Jain acquitted Tarlochan Singh Wazir, former MLC and his brother Ajab Singh, Choudhary Nagar Singh alias Nago, Raju Simblia, all hailing from Jammu, Mahesh, Russi, Vicky, Bhawani Singh, Sikander, Narinder and Daleep, all members of a tribe hailing from Madhya Pradesh.
Prosecution case against accused Mahesh, Russi, Vicky, Nanju, Bhawani Singh, Sikander, Narinder, Dalip, Sangram Singh and Kiran Pardhi (now dead) was that on September 18, 2006, they had murdered Rajinder Bhushan Chopra, his wife Madhu Chopra and daughter Saloni Chopra as well Chopra’s servant Sonu and driver Jagan after tying their hands and feet and gagging their mouth in their Trikuta Nagar house. They had escaped in the car No. 0030/JK2AC. A FIR No107/2006 was registered in Trikuta Nagar police station under Section 302 RPC.
During the investigation, the persons connected with the business of Rajinder Chopra and his suspected rivals, some close relatives and persons like Nagar Singh, Ajab Singh, Rajinder Singh, H.P.Singh, Nirmal Singh, Rajneesh Sharma, Anil Wahi, S.B.Sood, Kuldeep Singh and close relatives Shashi Bushan and his wife Neelam Chopra, Sagun Chopra, Suman Chopra and Vikram Aggarwal, Mohammad Amin etc were questioned but nothing came out of it and they expressed ignorance of the case.
Principal Sessions Judge Jammu RS Jain after hearing Senior Advocates PN Raina, RS Thakur, Advocates RK Kotwal, Ashwani Khajuria, Anil Sethi, OP Sharma and Anmol observed that before coming to the appreciation of the evidence adduced by the prosecution on merits, “I may observe that the motive has to be gathered from the surrounding circumstances and such evidence should form one of the links to the chain of circumstantial evidence. The proof of motive would only strengthen the prosecution case and fortify the court in its ultimate conclusion but in the absence of any connecting evidence or link which would be sufficient in itself from the face of it, the accused cannot be convicted. Motive is best known to the perpetrator of the crime and not to others”.
He said motives of men are often subjective, submerged and unamenable to easy proof that courts have to go without clear evidence thereon if other clinching evidence exists.
“A motive is indicated to heighten the probability that the offence was committed by the person who was impelled by the motive but if the crime is alleged to have been committed for a particular motive, it is relevant to inquire whether the pattern of the crime fits in which the alleged motive,” Mr Jain observed.
“There is evidence to link accused Sangram Pardhi and Nanju with the commission of murders of five persons with or without the help of unknown persons is established by the prosecution. The entire case of prosecution against accused Sangram Pardhi and Nanju rests on circumstantial evidence,” the Judge said.
Court further observed that it is clear that the deliberate acts of violence by accused Sangram Pardhi and Nanju, in furtherance of the criminal conspiracy hatched by them.
The Judge fixed February 5 as date for arguments on quantum of sentence of Sangram and Nanju.
Follow our WhatsApp channel