Srinagar, May 17: The Supreme Court of India has confirmed that Gulzar Ahmad Bhat, also known as Gulzar Peer, is innocent in a rape case filed more than 10 years ago in Budgam district.
This decision ends a long legal fight that started in 2013 when an FIR was registered at Khansahib Police Station.
A bench of Justice B.V. Nagarathna and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma rejected the appeal filed by the former state of Jammu & Kashmir. The appeal had challenged the earlier decisions of Budgam Sessions Court and Jammu & Kashmir High Court, both of which had cleared Gulzar Peer and three others of all charges.
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In 2015, the Sessions Court acquitted them due to lack of evidence. The High Court supported this judgment in 2017. Not satisfied, the State filed a case in the Supreme Court (Criminal Appeal No. 1682 of 2017).
The State’s lawyers argued that the witnesses gave strong and matching statements, which proved the accused guilty. But senior advocate S. Nagamuthu, who appeared for the accused, said that the lower courts followed the law properly and there was no reason for the Supreme Court to interfere.
Justice Nagarathna, while giving the judgment, said that higher courts should be careful while changing acquittal decisions, especially when there are no big mistakes in earlier judgments. The court found no reason to interfere and reminded everyone about the legal principle that a person is innocent until proven guilty.
The court also referred to earlier cases like Yashwant vs. State of Maharashtra and Rajesh Prasad vs. State of Bihar, saying that to reverse an acquittal, there must be a very strong reason.
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In the end, the court said, “The State has not shown any strong reason for us to interfere. This appeal has no merit.”
This judgment highlights an important rule in Indian law: a person is considered innocent until proven guilty beyond doubt. And once someone is acquitted, reversing that decision needs a very strong and solid case.
