Nagaon, April 22, 2026 — The Supreme Court on April 16, 2026 upheld the Gauhati High Court’s decision in the 2017 rape and murder case of school headmistress Arnamai Bora, dismissing the Assam government’s appeal and acquitting the main accused, Moinul Haque. A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta said the prosecution had failed to prove the case beyond reasonable doubt and cited “serious lapses” and procedural irregularities that, in the court’s view, undermined the prosecution’s case. The bench acquitted Haque of all charges, including destruction of evidence, and ordered his immediate release.
The verdict has left the victim’s family devastated. Arnamai Bora’s husband, Bimal Bora, said the investigation’s flaws allowed the real culprits to escape: “Due to serious lapses in the investigation, the real culprits have escaped.” The family says it is still waiting for justice.
The case dates to May 31, 2017, when 58-year-old Arnamai Bora, headmistress of Elasi Deuri Primary School in Jamunamukh in Hojai district, was raped and murdered while returning home from work. Her body was later recovered from the Kapili river. The brutal killing sparked mass protests across Assam and demands for swift punishment.
In the initial probe, police arrested two men, Moinul Haque and Salimuddin. A fast-track court convicted both amid intense public pressure, sentencing Haque to death and Salimuddin to life imprisonment.
The case shifted in January 2023 when the Gauhati High Court reviewed the evidence and found significant gaps. The High Court said the conviction rested largely on circumstantial evidence and that the sole eyewitness, a minor, did not place Haque at the crime scene. It commuted Haque’s death sentence to three years under Section 201 (destruction of evidence) and reduced Salimuddin’s sentence to five years; Haque had already served that term and was released, prompting public backlash and the state’s appeal to the Supreme Court.
During the Supreme Court hearing, Senior Additional Advocate Chinmoy Pradeep Sarma represented the state while Senior Advocate P.V. Dinesh appeared for Haque. After examining the record, the apex court found no conclusive evidence linking Haque to the crime and expressed doubts about the circumstances of his arrest, describing them as “under a cloud of suspicion.” The court also stressed its power to correct procedural errors to secure complete justice, even when such corrections benefit an accused who has not filed an appeal.
The ruling renews sharp questions about the quality of the investigation and investigative accountability in the case, while the victim’s family and many in the public continue to demand that those truly responsible be identified and prosecuted.
Original Source: https://assamtribune.com/assam/arnamai-bora-case-sc-acquits-main-accused-family-alleges-probe-lapses-1610846
Category: Assam,Featured
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Publish Date: 2026-04-22 11:18:00
