Allahabad HC grants bail to convict in Raju Pal murder case

Allahabad High Court Approves Bail for Convicted Raju Pal Murder Accused

Allahabad HC grants bail to convict - The Allahabad High Court has decided to grant bail to Abid, who was convicted in the 2005 assassination of BSP MLA Raju Pal. The order suspends his sentence until the resolution of his ongoing criminal appeal.

A division bench of Justice Siddharth and Justice Vinay Kumar Dwivedi noted that the appeal, which has been pending since 2024, is expected to take time to resolve. Consequently, the court allowed Abid’s release on bail until a final verdict on the appeal is delivered.

Abid’s legal team argued that his name was absent from the initial FIR and that the charges against him were based solely on statements from co-accused individuals. They emphasized the lack of direct evidence linking him to the crime.

Legal Observations on Testimony Shifts

In its May 29 ruling, the court remarked, "During the recording of witness testimonies, following the police's charge-sheet, no eyewitness had identified Abid as part of the attack. Later, after the C.B.I. filed its charge-sheet, these witnesses changed their statements, identifying Abid as an assailant despite the trial court overlooking this crucial detail and convicting him without proper verification."

"No test identification parade was conducted during the investigation, and Abid's name was only introduced through the accounts of other accused," the court added in its observations.