‘Maaro S**le Ko’: Does Shouting These Words Prove Intent To Kill? Here's What Delhi High Court Said

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has acquitted a man who was convicted in a 1983 murder case linked to a altercation inside a Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) bus, holding that the words allegedly shouted by him during the incident were not enough to prove that he shared a common intention to commit murder.

The man in question is Mukesh Kumar, who had been sentenced to life imprisonment by a trial court in 2004.

The incident dates back to 1983, when a group of young men were allegedly misbehaving with two women passengers in a DTC bus. When a man named Vinod Kumar and his friends objected to this, a violent confrontation broke out on the public vehicle.

During the incident, co-accused Balvinder Singh allegedly stabbed Vinod Kumar with a knife. Vinod was taken to AIIMS with serious injuries and later died. Another passenger, Usha, also suffered an injury during the incident. The prosecution claimed that Mukesh Kumar, who was allegedly standing towards the rear side of the bus, had shouted “Maaro S**le Ko” during the altercation.

Thereafter, Mukesh and three others were arrested for Vinod's murder. In 2004, Mukesh was sentenced to life imprisonment for the offence of murder.

The Delhi High Court has now stated that merely shouting those words does not imply intent to kill.

"The use of the words ‘Maro Sale Ko’ by themselves also does not imply the intention to kill; they can also be attributed to the intention to hurt."

The court also noted that there was no evidence to prove that Mukesh knew that his co-accused were carrying knives. The court acquitted Mukesh of all charges.

Notably, the case had been pending before the Delhi High Court since 22 years.

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