CBI court to deliver verdict in Dhanbad judge murder case today

RANCHI: A special Dhanbad court on Thursday afternoon will deliver its verdict on the murder trial held against two men for the killing of additional district judge Uttam Anand who was run over by an autorickshaw exactly a year earlier, people aware of the matter said.

Two men, auto driver Lakhan Verma, 22, and his accomplice Rahul Verma, 21, were arrested in this case.

Judge Uttam Anand was on a morning jog when he was mowed down by the autorickshaw on July 28 last year, an incident which sparked security concerns in the entire judiciary. In view of the sensitivity of the case, the Jharkhand government promptly requested the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to take over the probe.

The vehicle, which was stolen from Dhanbad, was later recovered from the neighbouring Giridih district.

Lawyer Kumar Bimlendu, who appeared for the accused, said the special CBI court is likely to deliver its verdict at about 4pm. “While I can’t comment on the outcome of the verdict, I have argued against the prosecution charge of murder as in my view they have failed to prove the motive of the accused behind the alleged crime,” Bimlendu said.

The Jharkhand high court and the Supreme Court also took cognisance of the case after CCTV footage showed a three-wheeler swerving on an empty road to hit down as he was jogging. The high court also monitored the investigation and rejected CBI’s initial theory that the 49-year-old judge was possibly knocked down by the auto-rickshaw during a bid to snatch his mobile phone,

CBI filed the charge sheet against the two accused under sections 302 (murder), 201 (destruction of evidence) and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code. During the trial, the prosecution produced 58 witnesses including 40 experts including doctors, scientists, and forensic experts to substantiate its charge.