Supreme Court upholds acquittal in Kashmir murder case

The Supreme Court of India has upheld the acquittal of seven alleged members of the Jammu and Kashmir Students Liberation Front (JKSLF) in a 1990 case involving the kidnapping and murder of Kashmir University Vice-Chancellor Mushir-ul-Haq and his secretary. The court dismissed appeals from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) that challenged this acquittal. A bench of Justices Abhay S. Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan criticized the investigation and trial process. They noted that the case had serious flaws, stating that procedural safeguards were ignored. The court emphasized that this resulted in a failure to achieve justice for both the victims and the accused. The Supreme Court stated that it found no errors in the Special Court's decision to acquit the accused. It highlighted that in this case, no other conclusion was logically possible. The judges recalled the importance of ensuring confessions are made in a free environment, something that was not achieved in this instance, as confessions were taken in a heavily guarded setting. The CBI had alleged that Hilal Beg and other JKSLF members plotted to kidnap Mushir-ul-Haq and his secretary in order to pressure the government into releasing their associates. The two hostages were kidnapped on April 6, 1990, but were tragically killed four days later when their demands were unmet.