Supreme Court Acquits Man in 2004 Durga Puja Shootout Double Murder Case

he Supreme Court of India has acquitted a man in a 2004 case of double murder arising out of a shootout during a Durga Puja celebration, holding that the prosecution failed to establish its case beyond reasonable doubt and that the incident did not occur in the manner alleged.

A Bench of Justices Manoj Misra and Joymalya Bagchi on January 5, 2026 granted the benefit of doubt to appellant Anjani Singh and set aside his conviction in the case.

The Supreme Court allowed the appeal against the judgment of the Allahabad High Court dated July 5, 2019, which had affirmed the conviction of Anjani Singh and his brother Ravindra Singh by the Additional Sessions Judge, Ballia. The High Court had, however, acquitted their father Rishabh Dev Singh. Ravindra Singh passed away during the pendency of proceedings before the apex court.

According to the prosecution, the incident took place on October 20, 2004, during Durga Puja celebrations. It was alleged that Anjani Singh slapped the ten year old son of the informant, which led to a confrontation. The appellant allegedly left the spot and returned with his father and brother, armed with a rifle, a country made pistol and a lathi. The accused were alleged to have opened indiscriminate fire, resulting in the death of a generator operator and another person, while several others sustained injuries.

It was further claimed that members of the crowd managed to catch hold of Ravindra Singh and snatch his rifle, which allegedly broke, after which all three accused escaped from the scene.

While examining the evidence, the Supreme Court noted that although several persons had sustained injuries during the incident, none of them supported the prosecution version. Most of the injured witnesses stated that the lights went off at the time of occurrence and they could not see who fired the shots.

The Court observed that the generator operator was among those killed and raised serious doubts about whether he was accidentally shot during indiscriminate firing or was deliberately targeted. It noted that switching off the generator would be an effective way to plunge the area into darkness and conceal the identity of assailants.

With regard to the testimony of the informant, the Bench found multiple inconsistencies. The informant gave contradictory versions regarding the place from where shots were fired and was not specific about the role attributed to Anjani Singh. At one stage, he claimed that shots were fired from one location, while later he stated that he was surrounded and multiple rounds were fired at him, though he managed to escape unhurt.

The Court found it significant that despite being the alleged target, the informant did not suffer any grievous injury even though the assailants were allegedly in close proximity. It also noted that the informant admitted that Anjani Singh did not fire any shot at the time when the rifle was allegedly snatched from Ravindra Singh. No explanation was offered as to why no one attempted to apprehend Anjani Singh or snatch the country made pistol from him.

The Supreme Court also took note of the criminal antecedents of the informant, who admitted that he had been an accused in a murder case, faced proceedings under the Arms Act, and had previously been booked under preventive statutes, though acquitted.

The Bench further observed that forensic evidence weakened the prosecution case. The magazine recovered from the spot could not be linked to the seized rifle. The country made pistol allegedly used by Anjani Singh was never recovered. The presence of another magazine at the scene suggested the use of an additional firearm, the user of which was not explained by the prosecution.

The Court also noted that the gunshot injuries on the deceased showed blackening around the entry wounds, indicating that the shots were fired from close range. It questioned why two innocent persons would be killed when the alleged motive, albeit weak, was only against the informant.

In these circumstances, the Court held that the prosecution failed to present a truthful and coherent version of events. It observed that the evidence suggested the possibility of multiple attackers opening fire and that the incident did not occur as projected by the prosecution.

Holding that the benefit of doubt ought to have been extended to the appellant, the Supreme Court set aside the conviction and acquitted Anjani Singh of all charges.

Case Title: Anjani Singh v. State of Uttar Pradesh

Bench: Justices Manoj Misra and Joymalya Bagchi

Date: January 5, 2026