The Allahabad High Court has denied bail to Shoeb Akhtar, accused of beheading a Hindu woman in 2020 for refusing to convert to Islam after marrying co-accused Ajaj Ahmed. Justice Sanjay Kumar Singh, considering the severity of the crime, the involvement of Akhtar, and the current stage of the trial, found no justifiable reason to grant bail.
Shoeb Akhtar was arrested by Chopan Police in Sonbhadra district, Uttar Pradesh, under IPC sections 302 (punishment for murder) and 201 (causing the disappearance of evidence of an offence or giving false information to screen the offender). The prosecution claims that Akhtar, along with his friend Ajaj Ahmed, murdered Priya for her refusal to convert to Islam after marrying Ahmed.
In 2020, Ajaj Ahmed had initially placed Priya in a rented room in the Obla area, pressuring her to abandon her Hindu identity and convert to Islam. When Priya remained steadfast in her refusal, an enraged Ahmed called upon Akhtar. Together, they took Priya to a nearby forest and killed her, leaving her decapitated body in a drain.
This was Akhtar’s second bail application, filed through his counsel, Saurabh Pandey. His previous application, filed in January last year, was also denied. The court reiterated the findings of the postmortem report, which indicated that Priya’s death was caused by the ante-mortem separation of her neck from her body.
Priya’s sister, Sharmila, provided a statement confirming that Priya had been under constant pressure from Ahmed and Akhtar to convert to Islam. She asserted that Priya’s refusal led to her murder by the two men. The court order mentioned that both accused were apprehended together, and incriminating materials were recovered based on their disclosures.
The Additional Government Advocate, representing the state, opposed Akhtar’s second bail plea, highlighting the gravity and heinous nature of the crime. He pointed out that Ahmed had obtained bail by concealing the January 24, 2023 judgment that had denied Akhtar’s first bail petition. The state’s representative also argued that a previous court order had erroneously attributed a prolonged detention period to Ahmed.
The court agreed with the state’s arguments, noting that the order granting bail to Ahmed in October 2023 had overlooked the previous denial of Akhtar’s bail. “Considering the gravity of the offence, role assigned to the accused-applicant and the stage of trial, I do not find any good ground to release the applicant on bail. Accordingly, the bail application is rejected,” the court stated.
The court instructed the Superintendent of Police, Sonbhadra, to ensure the presence of all remaining prosecution witnesses at the next trial date. To date, 9 out of 25 prosecution witnesses have testified. The court also directed the trial court to expedite the trial without granting adjournments for either side.
This ruling underscores the court’s commitment to addressing severe crimes with due diligence and ensuring that justice is served expeditiously.
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