The Supreme Court on Monday cancelled the bail granted to a man accused of conspiring to murder his brother-in-law in a case of “honour killing” in Rajasthan.
A Bench led by Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana ordered the accused, Mukesh Chaudhary, to surrender before the trial court. It set aside the bail granted by the Rajasthan High Court in December last year. The appeal in the Supreme Court was filed by the widow, Mamta Nair.
The crime occurred in 2017. A case was filed by the victim’s mother Rama Devi Nair in the Rajasthan High Court. The trial is pending in the Sessions Court.
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“According to the complainant and the appellant herein, the husband of the appellant has been killed by the family members of the appellant as an honor killing, since they had not agreed to the marriage between the deceased and the appellant,” the apex court noted in its judgment.
The court did not go into the merits of the case as it was pending trial. Mamta Nair, represented by senior advocate Indira Jaising, said the High Court had enlarged the accused on bail in a “mechanical manner” bereft of reasons.
“Taking into consideration the nature of the offence, it is appropriate that the trial be concluded at the earliest. The trial court shall, therefore, make all efforts to conclude the trial and dispose of the case as expeditiously as possible, but in any event not later than one year from the date of receipt of a copy of this order,” said Chief Justice Ramana on behalf of the Bench.
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