LUCKNOW: The Allahabad High Court has acquitted Raiyyan, the sole remaining convict in the 2016 murder of National Investigation Agency (NIA) officer Tanzeel Ahmed and his wife Farzana. The verdict, delivered by Justice Siddharth on March 31, sets aside the death sentence previously handed down by a Bijnor court, citing a case “full of doubts” and questionable conduct of prosecution witnesses. Raiyyan, who has been incarcerated since his arrest in 2016, has been ordered to be released immediately if not held in any other case.
The double murder occurred on the intervening night of April 2 and 3, 2016, when Tanzeel Ahmed, a Deputy Superintendent of Police with the NIA, was returning home with his wife Farzana and their two children after attending a family wedding in Sahaspur, Bijnor district. Their vehicle was intercepted by two motorcycle-borne assailants, who opened fire, critically injuring both Tanzeel and Farzana. While Tanzeel was declared dead at a hospital, Farzana succumbed to her injuries ten days later at AIIMS, Delhi. The couple’s children, who were in the back seat, escaped unharmed.
Tanzeel Ahmed was known for his work on several high-profile cases related to national security, including those involving the Indian Mujahideen (IM) and the arrest of its India chief Yasin Bhatkal. His body reportedly sustained 22 bullet injuries.
The investigation led to the arrest of five individuals, including Raiyyan. In May 2022, a Bijnor Additional District Judge court had sentenced two of the accused, Munir and Raiyyan, to death, labeling the crime as “rarest of rare.” However, Munir died in hospital due to prolonged illness during his jail term, leaving Raiyyan as the sole convict facing capital punishment. Three other accused—Jaini, Tanjim, and Rizwan—were acquitted by the trial court due to insufficient evidence.
During the appeal process at the Allahabad High Court, a split verdict was initially delivered by a division bench. One judge favored acquittal, citing serious omissions and contradictions in the prosecution’s case, while the other partially upheld the conviction, commuting the death sentence to life imprisonment. Consequently, the matter was referred to Justice Siddharth as a third judge, who ultimately ruled in favor of acquittal.
Justice Siddharth’s order highlighted that the prosecution had failed to prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt. The court noted that the police had camped at the crime scene for months and detained several individuals but failed to unearth reliable evidence. It was also observed that some initial statements from prosecution witnesses, recorded under Section 164 of the CrPC, were potentially made under duress in an attempt to solve the case.
The acquittal of Raiyyan brings a decade-long legal battle to a close, emphasizing the critical importance of robust evidence in judicial proceedings, even in cases involving national security officers. The family of the acquitted convict has stated that while formalities are underway for his release, there are no other cases pending against him.
The Chenab Times News Desk