In a judgment, the Supreme Court on Tuesday acquitted Chandrabhan Sudam Sanap, who had been on death row since 2015 for the rape and murder of 23-year-old Esther Anuhya, a software engineer from Machilipatnam, Andhra Pradesh. Anuhya worked with Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) in Goregaon, Mumbai, before her tragic death in 2014.
The Bench of Justice BR Gavai, Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra, and Justice KV Viswanathan overturned the conviction, citing significant gaps in the prosecution’s evidence. “We hold the appellant is not guilty of the offence. The appellant is to be set free. He is acquitted,” the Court declared in its ruling.
The case had gained national attention due to the brutality of the crime. The prosecution alleged that Sanap kidnapped Anuhya, raped her, and murdered her before burning her body near the Eastern Expressway in Mumbai. The trial court, in 2015, sentenced Sanap to death, describing his actions as “pre-planned and diabolical.” The Bombay High Court later upheld the death sentence in 2018, stating that Sanap would remain “a menace to society.”
However, the Supreme Court found the evidence insufficient to sustain the conviction. “There is a gaping hole in the prosecution story, and there is more than meets the eye,” the Bench noted after thoroughly reviewing the evidence. The Court emphasized the importance of ensuring that convictions are based on irrefutable evidence.
