LUCKNOW: The court room was full when Dr. K.N. Katju took up arguments on behalf of the defence in what is known as the Bilasia Murder Case before Mr. Smith, District and Sessions Judge, Lucknow yesterday [Dec 14] morning.

At the outset Dr. Katju, addressing the Jury, stated that an accused was considered innocent in the eyes of the law so long as the guilt was not proved against him and that the onus of proof in all such cases lay on the prosecution.

Speaking generally of cases conducted by the police, Dr. Katju said that in almost all cases police officers were to a great extent guided by the opinion formed or expressed by the district authorities, and this case too was no exception to that rule….

The evidence produced by the prosecution in this case, continued Dr. Katju, was so meagre that if it were in a British court he would have requested the judge to tell the jury that there was no evidence at all against the accused and that he should therefore be acquitted. The prosecution had failed to prove either the death of Bilasia or even her bad condition after the beating. They had even failed to establish that a “danda” had been used to beat the deceased girl…. — Dawn Delhi

Published in Dawn, December 16th, 2018