MP HC acquits man, calls the conviction given on cryptic ground by trial court

The Madhya Pradesh high court on Saturday set aside the life imprisonment imposed on a murder accused, saying the trial court failed to discharge its responsibilities properly and diligently.Lotan Lodhi was acquitted of the charges under section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code and section 3(2)(v) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, the court said. (File Photo)The division bench of judges Vivek Agrawal and Avanindra Kumar Singh also said the case should be placed before the acting Madhya Pradesh Chief Justice to take an appropriate call in this regard.The court said, “We are constrained to observe that learned trial court has failed to discharge its duties with due care and diligence. Prima facie, we are of the considered opinion that the manner in which the evidence and the material on record have been appreciated raises serious concerns regarding the suitability of learned trial court, presided over by Udai Singh Maravi, special judge, SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, Damoh, to deal with sensitive matters of this nature.”“The judgment passed by trial court in May 2025, the conviction having been founded on cryptic and non-existent grounds cannot be sustained in the eyes of law,” reads the court order.Lotan Lodhi was acquitted of the charges under section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code and section 3(2)(v) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, the court said. Lotan Lodhi is in jail.On March 22, 2014, a man named Munnalal Ahirwar was found dead and, on the complaint of his nephew, Lotan Lodhi was arrested by the police.The court found that the testimony of the nephew of the deceased, Munna Ahirwar, was cryptic and inconsistent. “He said that on the day of the crime, Munna Ahirwar was sitting with Lotan Lodhi and gave him ₹100 to buy liquor, but the shop was closed. Later, Munna and Nanna went towards Halle’s house. The next morning, Munna was found dead. In cross-examination, the nephew admitted there was no close relationship between Munna and Lotan.”“The second circumstance was recovery of three ₹100 notes and a mobile handset to prove that they used to know each other. Call records showed communication between Munna and Lotan, but no evidence proved the seized SIM was used in the recovered handset. No purchase bill or identification linked the phone to Munna,” said the order.“The trial court judgment wrongly recorded that human blood was found on Lotan’s clothes. The FSL report confirmed no human blood on his clothing. It was found only on Munna’s,” it reads.The court held that the chain of circumstances was incomplete. “The conviction recorded by the trial court, based on erroneous findings and incomplete circumstances, was therefore unsustainable in law,” said the court.