Man Accused of Murdering Wife in UK Moves Delhi HC Against Proclaimed Offender Status
A 24-year-old Indian woman from Palam, who had moved to the UK with her husband, was found strangled in the boot of a car in East London’s Ilford area;
The Delhi High Court, on Thursday, June 19, refused to grant relief to a man accused of murdering his wife, who had challenged a trial court order declaring him a proclaimed offender.
A bench led by Justice Prathiba M. Singh observed that the matter required consideration and was not appropriate for the vacation bench.
The court has listed it for further hearing on July 15.
In the case at hand, the 24-year-old victim was allegedly murdered by her husband in the UK. On November 14, her strangled body was found in the boot of his car in East London’s Ilford area. The accused, on the other hand, has been absconding; however, he was last spotted near a bank in Gurugram.
Before the High Court, the accused, represented by Advocate Varun Deswal, argued that the trial court had failed to follow the mandatory legal procedure.
Deswal contended that no notice was issued under Section 41A of the CrPC, which requires the accused to be summoned before being declared a Proclaimed Offender.
Opposing these contentions, the Public Prosecutor submitted a confidential Interpol report from UK authorities. It was argued that the report was highly sensitive and contained detailed information about the incident. The Prosecutor further submitted that the accused must surrender first before seeking bail.
The Delhi Police had registered an FIR on December 3 under IPC Sections 498A (cruelty), 406 (criminal breach of trust), and later added Section 304B (dowry death). A Look Out Circular (LOC) was also issued against the accused.
On May 1, a Delhi court declared him a Proclaimed Offender after his repeated failure to appear before the authorities.