A Chandigarh district court has acquitted a young woman who spent more than two years in jail after being accused of killing her father, ruling that the prosecution failed to prove its case beyond doubt.

The verdict was delivered by Additional District and Sessions Judge Sonika, who cleared the 19-year-old of murder charges linked to the death of her 52-year-old father, Sumei Lal. A detailed order in the matter is awaited.

The case stemmed from an incident reported on August 9, 2023, when Lal was found grievously injured inside his home in Kishangarh village. He was taken to the Government Multi-Specialty Hospital in Sector 16 by neighbours but later died during treatment. Medical examination later confirmed that the injury was caused by a sharp-edged weapon to the chest.

Police action followed a complaint by a neighbour, Gulab Singh, who told investigators that he had entered Lal’s house to collect drinking water and saw him lying on the floor, bleeding heavily. At the time, Lal’s daughter was allegedly attempting to stop the bleeding. Based on the complaint and subsequent inquiry, the police arrested the girl and registered a murder case at the IT Park police station.

According to the prosecution, the accused later claimed her father regularly returned home drunk and verbally abused her, which allegedly triggered the incident. Investigators also recovered a knife from Sukhna choe during the probe.

During trial proceedings, however, the defence dismantled key aspects of the police case. Advocate Gurdit Saini pointed out inconsistencies between the forensic findings and the weapon allegedly used. The knife recovered had a blade length of 9.8 cm with a rounded tip, while the post-mortem report recorded a wound depth of 10.6 cm. The defence further argued that the presence of only one injury weakened the claim of intent to kill.

Crucially, the complainant admitted before the court that the accused never told him she had attacked her father, contradicting his earlier statement to the police. It was also highlighted that the girl had attempted to assist her injured father and accompanied him to hospital rather than fleeing the scene.

After assessing witness testimony and material evidence, the court concluded that the prosecution’s version was riddled with doubts. The accused was therefore acquitted, ending a case that had kept her behind bars throughout the trial period.