# Punjab and Haryana High Court Acquits Rape Convict Over Dying Declaration 2026-08-16T00:00:57+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet The Punjab and Haryana High Court has acquitted a rape convict, ruling that the dying declaration on which the prosecution based its case was unreliable. A division bench of Justice Rajesh Bhardwaj and Justice Deepak Manchanda held that the investigating agency's failure to have the statement recorded by a Judicial Magistrate, despite adequate opportunity, created a dent in the prosecution story. The court noted that the omission assumed greater significance as the conviction rested solely on the dying declaration. The case arose from a 2010 incident in Rohtak. The victim, who later died by consuming aluminium phosphide, made a statement before her death. An additional sessions judge had convicted the appellant in 2013, sentencing him to 12 years' rigorous imprisonment. On appeal, senior advocate Sunil Chadha argued multiple contradictions in the recording officer's account, which the court found substance in. Medical evidence showed the victim was in critical condition and under sedation, and no injuries were found on her or the accused. Citing Supreme Court precedents, the bench reiterated that a dying declaration must inspire full confidence. Given the infirmities, inconsistencies, and unexplained circumstances, the court held the declaration untrustworthy. Invoking the principle that benefit of doubt must go to the accused, the appeal was allowed and the conviction set aside. ## Coverage - livelaw.in This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Deepak Manchanda, Punjab and Haryana High Court, Rajesh Bhardwaj, Rohtak Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/punjab-and-haryana-high-court-acquits-rape-convict-over-dying-declaration/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/punjab-and-haryana-high-court-acquits-rape-convict-over-dying-declaration/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/