SRINAGAR, Aug 26: Justice Sanjay Dhar acquitted Habibullah Kumar, a former In-charge Establishment Clerk at the Block Development Office, Larkipora Shahabad, Anantnag, in a 2009 bribery case, holding that the prosecution failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that he had demanded or voluntarily accepted illegal gratification.
Court also set aside the trial court’s conviction and two-year sentence, observing that the prosecution’s case was weakened by contradictions in the complainant’s evidence, the absence of independent verification of the alleged initial demand and the failure of the shadow witness to see the alleged exchange of money.
The court also dismissed the charge sheet and ordered that his bail and surety bonds stand discharged.
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