Himachal legislator acquitted in murder case

A fast track court here in Haryana Thursday acquitted Congress legislator from Himachal Pradesh Ram Kumar Chaudhary and five others in a murder case.

Chaudhary, a legislator from Doon, had been accused of murdering 24-year-old Jyoti, his former employee. The crime took place Nov 21, 2012.

He and the others were acquitted by a district fast track court here on the strength of discrepancies in the evidence produced by police.

Also, many witnesses turned hostile.

The others acquitted were accused of murder conspiracy and of harbouring and helping Chaudhary when he absconded after the incident.

Jyoti was found dead near Sector 21 in Panchkula town, 15 km from Chandigarh. Her head was crushed under a truck so that she could not be recognised.

She belonged to a poor, Dalit family in Punjab's Hoshiarpur district, 150 km from here.

Haryana Police had claimed that Chaudhary had relations with the young woman and used to transfer money into her bank account.

It was alleged that she became pregnant and her abortion was done at Chaudhary's behest.

Police had booked Chaudhary and three others - Paramjeet, Dharampal and Gurmeet Singh - for the murder.