Professor Sabharwal Murder Case: All 6 Accused Acquitted

A Nagpur sessions court, hearing Professor HS Sabharwal murder case, has exonerated all the six accused students. Professor Sabharwal died inside premises of Madhav College, Ujjain, in 2006.

Himanshu Sabharwal, son of Prof Sabharwal, said that the court set free the six accused – allegedly members of BJP student wing body ABVP – because of lack of evidences against them.

He said that he would appeal against the judgment in a higher court even if the fight for justice, as he terms it, has to be taken to the apex body of judiciary, the Supreme Court.

Speaking to a news channel, he said that the state BJP government was the biggest hindrance in the case.

Himanshu Sabharwal, son of Prof Sabharwal, said that the court set free the six accused – allegedly members of BJP supported student body ABVP – because of lack of evidences against them.  He said that he would appeal against the judgment in a higher court even if the fight for justice, as he terms it, has to be taken to the apex body of judiciary, the Supreme Court.

“It is a long judgment. I had made an application for further investigation. The case had been transferred from Ujjain to Nagpur,” Special Public Prosecutor Praful Shandal said.

It may be mentioned that Sabharwal, a professor in Madhav college Ujjain, had died on August 26, 2006 after he was reportedly attacked by a group of students who were protesting the cancellation of student body election in the university.

The professor had declared the student election null and void.

Protesting his decision some students of Madhav College and ABVP leaders had allegedly attacked him.

The Case History

In March 2008, the case was moved out of Madhya Pradesh by a Supreme Court order on a plea of family members. Nagpur sessions court had been hearing the case since.

A Supreme Court Bench headed by Justice Arijit Pasayat passed the order on a petition filed by the family of the slain professor pleading that the inquiry of the case be handed over to the CBI and the trial be shifted to Delhi.

The petition also requested taht an independent public prosecutor be appointed to handle the case.

The court, however, decided to shift the case to Nagpur instead after taking the opinion of the accused and the professor’s family.