Calcutta High Court Upholds Life Sentence in 1999 Murder Case Despite Missing Murder Weapon

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The Calcutta High Court has ruled that the non-recovery of a murder weapon does not render a case unreliable, particularly when eyewitness testimony confirms the crime. In a 1999 murder case, a division bench presided by Justice Debangsu Ghosh upheld the conviction and life sentence of three individuals. The court noted that since the victim's murder was established through evidence, the absence of the murder weapon and charges under the Arms Act did not compromise the prosecution's case. The bench also observed that the presence of eyewitnesses makes the motive for the crime less relevant. The case dates back to June 19, 1999, when Sridam Ghosh was killed in a mechanized boat on the Ganges river. Three eyewitnesses testified that Dhanu Ghosh, one of the accused, fired a pipe gun at Sridam's throat. The accused were arrested and sentenced to life imprisonment in February 2022. The defense counsel had argued that the prosecution failed to prove the charges and that the trial court relied on conjecture. However, the state counsel maintained that the prosecution had provided overwhelming evidence, including eyewitness testimony, that established the guilt of the accused. The court rejected the defense's claim that the accused were falsely implicated due to previous enmity between the two sides, stating that this could also be seen as a motive for the murder. The bench upheld the conviction and sentence, affirming that the prosecution had convincingly proven the charges beyond reasonable doubt.