New Delhi, Jan 28 (UNI) In a significant shift in the long-standing legal battle, the Supreme Court on Tuesday overturned the previous judicial ruling findings and acquitted Chandrabhan Sudam Sanap, who had been on death row since 2015 for the rape and murder of 23-year-old techie Esther Anuhya in 2014.
A Bench comprising Justice BR Gavai, Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra, and Justice KV Viswanathan ruled that the conviction was unsafe to sustain, citing significant gaps in the prosecution’s narrative.
“All facts show a gaping hole in the prosecution story, and there is more than meets the eye,” the Court observed after reviewing the evidence. “We hold the appellant is not guilty of the offence. He is to be set free,” the Bench ordered.
In 2018, the Bombay High Court confirmed Sanap’s death sentence, declaring him a threat to society. The trial judge had earlier described the crime as “diabolical” and “pre-planned,” imposing the death penalty based on the brutal nature of the offence.
Esther Anuhya, a software engineer with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) in Goregaon, Mumbai, hailed from Machilipatnam, Andhra Pradesh. The prosecution had alleged that Sanap kidnapped, raped, and killed Anuhya before burning her body near the Eastern Expressway in a secluded location.
The Supreme Court’s decision signifies a significant shift in the long-standing legal battle, overturning previous judicial rulings findings.