STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: The High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh has overturned a 15-year-old acquittal and sentenced an Army gunner to life imprisonment for murdering his wife during a pilgrimage to Mata Vaishno Devi in 2004.
A Division Bench comprising Justice Sanjeev Kumar and Justice Sanjay Parihar allowed the State’s appeal against the judgment of the Sessions Judge, Reasi, which had acquitted Rajan Lal of charges under Section 302 RPC. The Court ruled that the trial court erred in discarding consistent and credible testimony of Army officers before whom the accused voluntarily confessed to the crime.
According to the prosecution, Rajan Lal, serving with 32 Rashtriya Rifles, harboured suspicion about his wife, Lovely Mishra’s character. On June 17, 2004, while on leave, he took her for darshan to Mata Vaishno Devi. Near Bhairon Temple, he administered an intoxicant, rendering her unconscious, and then pushed her off a cliff. Her body was recovered in a nallah but remained unidentified until Army officers reported his confession.
The High Court noted that three Army officials-Major C.S. Sidhu, Lt. Col. J.S. Matang, and Subedar Vijay Shanker-testified consistently about the accused’s extra-judicial confession. “The conduct of the respondent in abandoning his wife after her fall and failing to inform the authorities points squarely to his guilt,” the bench observed.
Letters recovered from the deceased’s belongings revealed she was seeking reconciliation, suggesting marital discord and providing motive for the crime. The judges rejected the trial court’s skepticism about the confession, holding it voluntary, reliable, and corroborated by circumstantial evidence.
The State was represented by Deputy Advocate General Diwakar Sharma, while Advocate Rohit Kohli appeared for the respondent.
With this verdict, the High Court convicted Rajan Lal under Section 302 RPC and awarded him rigorous life imprisonment, bringing closure to a case that had lingered for over 15 years.