Today, On 26th November, The Supreme Court granted bail to two convicts in a two-decade-old murder case involving a Chhattisgarh NCP leader. The case, which dates back over 20 years, has been a subject of prolonged legal proceedings. The court’s decision comes after careful consideration of the circumstances and the time already served by the convicts. This ruling highlights the judiciary’s approach to long-pending cases and sentencing review.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court temporarily suspended the life sentences of two individuals convicted in the 2003 murder case of Ram Avatar Jaggi, a leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), in Raipur, Chhattisgarh.
Jaggi, who served as the treasurer for the NCP under the late Vidya Charan Shukla, was shot dead on June 4 while driving.
This murder occurred against a backdrop of escalating political tensions, with the NCP preparing for a major rally in Raipur just days before the incident, challenging the incumbent Congress government led by Chief Minister Ajit Jogi.
The case stirred significant unrest in the state ahead of the 2003 Assembly elections.
On April 4, the Chhattisgarh High Court upheld life sentences for 28 individuals involved in the murder.
A Supreme Court bench, including Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar, heard arguments from various lawyers, including senior advocate Abhishek Singhvi, who represented one of the convicts. While the court denied a plea for bail for convict Yahya Dhebar, it did grant bail and suspend the sentences of two convicts, Abhay Goyal and Feroz Sidhiquie.
The bench currently reviewing 14 petitions from the accused challenging the high court’s decision and has scheduled hearings for the week starting December 9.
The high court affirmed that the murder was politically motivated, with evidence suggesting a conspiracy to eliminate Jaggi due to the NCP’s rising influence. Allegations arose during the Central Bureau of Investigation’s inquiry, indicating a cover-up involving hired criminals and possible police complicity. The prosecution claimed that the plot was orchestrated by associates of the then Chief Minister Jogi and his son, Amit Jogi, who was later acquitted.
The high court noted that meetings between the accused took place at key locations, including the chief minister’s residence, where the conspiracy was allegedly devised.
The involvement of three police officers V K Pandey, Amrik Singh Gill, and Rakesh Chandra Trivedi was highlighted, with the court noting that they played crucial roles in concealing evidence and framing false suspects. The high court observed that professional criminals hired to carry out the murder, and their participation was supported by circumstantial evidence.
It dismissed appeals under the Code of Criminal Procedure, stating that the circumstantial evidence and the sequence of events definitively indicated the appellants’ guilt.
In total, the high court convicted 28 individuals under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, sentencing them to life imprisonment.
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Among those sentenced were Chiman Singh and Yahya Dhebar. The convicts included Pandey, Goyal, Sidhiquie, Trivedi, Dhebar, Avinash Singh (also known as Lallan Singh), Suryakant Tiwari, Amrik Singh Gill, Chiman Singh, Harish Chandra, Narsi Sharma, Sunil Gupta, Raju Bhadauriya, Anil Pachauri, Ravindra Singh (alias Ravi Singh), and Lalla Bhadauriya (alias Dharmendra Singh).
Other convicted individuals included Satyendra Singh, Shivendra Singh Parihar, Vinod Singh Rathore, Sanjay Singh Kushwaha, Rakesh Kumar Sharma, Ashok Singh Bhadoriya, Vivek Singh, Jambwant, Shyam Sunder, Vinod Singh Rajput, and Vishwanath Rajbhar.
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