The Allahabad High Court has acquitted the last remaining convict, Rayan, in the 2016 double murder case of National Investigation Agency (NIA) officers Mohammed Tanzil and his wife Farzana in Uttar Pradesh’s Bijnor district, setting aside the death sentence awarded by a trial court.
Delivering the judgement, Justice Siddharth ordered Rayan’s immediate release, observing that the Sessions Court had committed a serious error in awarding capital punishment and that the verdict could not be sustained in law. The court held that the prosecution had failed to prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.
The High Court pointed to significant weaknesses in the prosecution’s case, noting that the conduct of key witnesses appeared doubtful and remained unexplained. Despite an extensive investigation, including prolonged police presence at the crime scene and questioning of several local individuals, no credible evidence linking Rayan to the crime was established.
The court also observed that Tanzil, and his wife, officers of NIA’s Deputy Superintendent rank, were involved in probing several sensitive and high-profile cases related to national security, including terrorism. However, the prosecution failed to establish a clear motive or present reliable evidence connecting the accused to the killings.
The incident occurred on April 3, 2016, after a wedding ceremony at Bandhan Banquet Hall in Syohara. Tanzil, along with his wife and children, was returning home when two assailants on a motorcycle intercepted their car near the Tal Katora drain and opened fire, killing Tanzil and Farzana on the spot before fleeing. An FIR was subsequently lodged by Tanzil’s brother at the Syohara police station.
Earlier, an Additional District and Sessions Judge had convicted Rayan and sentenced him to death along with a fine of Rs 1 lakh.
However, during the appeal, a division bench of the High Court delivered a split verdict, with one judge favouring acquittal and the other recommending commutation of the death sentence to life imprisonment.
Following the split decision, the matter was referred to Justice Siddharth as the third judge, who ultimately ruled in favour of acquittal and quashed the trial court’s judgement.
The case initially involved five accused. Mohd Muneer, identified by the prosecution as the mastermind and primary shooter, was also sentenced to death by a Bijnor court in May 2022 alongside Rayan. Muneer later died of a kidney infection in November 2022 while lodged in Sonbhadra Jail, with his appeal pending before the High Court at the time of his death.
Three other accused — Jaini, Rizwan, and Tanjim Ahmed — were arrested during the initial investigation in 2016 but were acquitted by the trial court in May 2022 due to lack of evidence linking them to the crime.
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