Ranchi: The session court acquitted Devi Dayal, who was arrested with a foreign-made pistol, due to police negligence and the absence of independent witnesses in the case. The court stated in its ruling that despite being given several opportunities, the investigating officer failed to appear in court. The case is related to an arrest made by the Sonahatu police in 2009, where Devi Dayal Aheer was apprehended with an Italian-made pistol.
During the trial, the court found that a Sergeant Major had inspected the weapon seized from Devi Dayal. The Sergeant Major’s report indicated that the pistol and bullets were functional. However, the report did not verify the weapon by firing a bullet. The station in-charge was also unable to confirm whether the accused had signed on the weapon’s seal during its confiscation. Based on these facts, the court acquitted the accused.
The case was registered following a complaint by Sonahatu Police Station In-charge Manoj Kumar. In the First Information Report (FIR) filed in December 2009, it was mentioned that the police officers, including Kumar, were on their way to carry out a raid in the Jamua village. On the way, near Dungurudih, a man, upon seeing the police vehicle, started fleeing towards Sonahatu. The police apprehended him and conducted a search, during which they seized a 9mm pistol, made in Italy, with four bullets in its magazine.
During interrogation, the man identified himself as Devi Dayal Aheer, a resident of Khunti. Since there was no license or documentation related to the pistol, he was arrested. Based on the station in-charge’s statement, Devi Dayal was charged under various sections of the Arms Act. However, the court found the case lacking sufficient evidence to proceed, leading to his acquittal.