The court also took into account the testimony of the mother of the accused, who had told the police that he was taking treatment before the incident but it had to be stopped.
After being in prison for eight years, for murdering his grandmother, the Bombay High Court acquitted a man, giving him benefit of doubt, as he was undergoing treatment for 'paranoid schizophrenia' before and after the killing.
A division bench of Justice S S Shinde and Justice Ajay Gadkari quashed and set aside the conviction and charges against Sagar Patil, who allegedly killed his 82-year-old grandmother Parvati Pisekar, in 2002. Patil, who is lodged at the Kolhapur central prison, since his conviction in the year 2012, will be released now.
The court, while acquitting him, took into account the report submitted by the prison authorities which states that "The condition of the appellant is stable with medication (anti-psychotic drugs). That the case of the appellant is a known case of paranoid schizophrenia and he is on regular treatment."
Further, the court also took into account the testimony of the mother of the accused, who had told the police that he was taking treatment before the incident but it had to be stopped. Other witnesses also deposed the same.
Patil was arrested by the Mira Road police, after he allegedly surrendered himself to the Alibagh police, where he travelled after committing the murder. It was alleged that the deceased had earned around Rs 10 lakh by selling a self-owned property, but was not sharing her income with family members. Thus, Patil had killed her with a knife, by entering her house.
After going through the evidence the bench said "After carefully and minutely scrutinizing the entire evidence, it clearly appears to us that the appellant was suffering from mental disorder prior to and after the commission of crime. The appellant is accordingly acquitted from the charge framed against him."
FACT FILE
Symptoms of paranoid schizophrenia are patient had irritability, suspiciousness, reference idea, hearing persecutory voice, discussing himself about him, sleeplessness.
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