Ghaziabad: An additional sessions court acquitted a man accused in a 20-year-old murder case on Monday after “negligence in investigation” by police and incomplete examination of eyewitnesses by the prosecution failed to establish the allegations against him.The incident at the centre of the matter took place on Oct 18, 2006. The complainant, NC Sharma, alleged Suraj Shishodiya had borrowed Rs 10,000 from him. On the day he was supposed to return it, Shishodiya came to Sharma’s house when he was not present and forced Sharma’s wife, Shyamala, to consume poison. When he came back, he found her lying unconscious and rushed her to a hospital. She died while undergoing treatment.Sharma said police at Sihanigate police station had refused to accept his FIR, following which he had to approach the court. On the court’s directions, police lodged an FIR on Jan 16, 2007, and subsequently arrested Shishodiya.However, the doctor who conducted the post-mortem examination said it could not be ascertained that Shyamala’s death was caused by poisoning. It was established during the trial that her viscera were preserved so that they could be sent for laboratory testing but police never sent them.“This indicates negligence in the investigation, the responsibility for which lies with the investigating officer. In the absence of the said report, it has not been possible to determine the true cause of the deceased’s death,” said judge Manish Nigam.During trial, the complainant said that after being poisoned, his wife had narrated the incident to police and a neighbour, Machla Bhardwaj. However, the prosecution did not ask for the neighbour’s testimony. “Three witnesses were presented by the prosecution in the case and subsequently, an endorsement order dated July 29, 2026 stated that the prosecution would not present any further evidence. Other eyewitnesses alleged by the plaintiff have not been examined and witness Machla Bhardwaj has been discharged by the prosecution,” the court noted, concluding that the case was not proven beyond a reasonable doubt by the prosecution and subsequently acquitting Shishodiya.
