Sitting in the criminal appellate courtroom on Monday, the Supreme Court quietly brought down the curtain on a nearly three-decade-old murder case involving an Indian Army officer and a bitter family land dispute. The bench refused to interfere with the Allahabad High Court’s decision that had acquitted three accused relatives, holding that the prosecution’s version simply did not pass the test of credibility.
Background
The appeal was filed by Raj Pal Singh, the father of Captain Praveen Kumar, who was killed in June 1996 in Ghaziabad. The case had its roots in a long-standing property dispute within the family. According to the prosecution, a village panchayat was called to resolve the issue, tempers flared, and events spiralled into violence the next morning.
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Initially, the trial court had convicted Rajveer, Dharam Pal, and Sudhir under murder charges, sentencing them to life imprisonment. However, in 2012, the Allahabad High Court reversed that conviction, pointing to gaps, contradictions, and what it described as an improbable version of events. Aggrieved by the acquittal, the victim’s father approached the Supreme Court.
Court’s Observations
As the hearing unfolded, the Supreme Court bench closely examined whether the High Court had committed any serious error while acquitting the accused. The judges noted that several key aspects of the prosecution story raised doubts.
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The bench observed that the claim of a serving Army captain being forcibly dragged up a narrow staircase by three men, one of whom was 65 years old and undergoing cancer treatment, “did not inspire confidence.” There were also inconsistencies about who was carrying weapons and when. Crucially, the Court pointed out that although a licensed firearm was allegedly used, it was never sent for ballistic examination to confirm whether it caused the fatal injuries.
Referring to settled principles of criminal law, the bench remarked that conviction requires proof beyond reasonable doubt. Quoting earlier rulings, the Court reminded that there is a wide gap between something that “may be proved” and something that “must be proved.”
The judges also underlined that once an accused is acquitted, the presumption of innocence becomes even stronger, and an appellate court should interfere only for compelling reasons.
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Decision
In the end, the Supreme Court found no such compelling reason. Accepting the High Court’s assessment as a “plausible view” based on the evidence, the bench dismissed the appeal and upheld the acquittal of all three accused. With that, the long-running case reached its legal conclusion, the Court ordering that no further proceedings would survive.
Case Title: Raj Pal Singh v. Rajveer & Others
Case No.: Criminal Appeal No. 809 of 2014
Case Type: Criminal Appeal (Challenge to Acquittal in Murder Case)
Decision Date: 16 December 2025
