An HC acquittal failed to shield Mohammed Sharif from prejudice

Uttar Pradesh: Bike-borne assailants pumped about 16 bullets into the body of a Muslim man while he was returning home from the Rampur Police Station in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday, November 10.

The deceased, Mohammad Sharif, was an accused in the 2008 Rampur Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Group Centre attack case that snatched away lives. Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) had claimed responsibility for the strike.

In 2019, a Rampur court sentenced him and three other accused – Sabauddin, Imran Shahzad and Mohammad Farukh – to death. Another accused, Jung Bahadur Khan, was awarded life imprisonment.

In October last year, the Allahabad High Court acquitted Sharif and others. By then, he had already spent 17 to 18 years in Bareilly Central Jail.

SHO missing, Sharif waited for one hour

According to his advocate, Mohammed Shoaib, Sharif was killed metres away from the police station. He was informed about the murder by Sharif’s brother.

Just a day ago, Sharif was allegedly asked to visit the Khajuria Police Station for verification. On November 10, when he reached the station, neither the Station House Officer nor the head constable were present.

Sharif waited for an hour and decided to head back home. “He got a call from the police station to come back. He had barely travelled 500 metres from the police station when motorcycle-borne assailants opened fire on him, killing him,” Shoaib was quoted by Maktoob Media.

The advocate has raised serious suspicions of a conspiracy and possible police involvement. “Why was Sharif repeatedly called to the police station, and why were the SHO and the constable who summoned him absent when he arrived? Who informed the assailants that Sharif had left the police station? These are questions that demand an impartial investigation,” he said.

Mohammed Sharif released due to lack of evidence

The circumstances surrounding Mohammed Sharif’s release from prison are significant in light of the Allahabad High Court’s findings in the 2008 terror attack case.

In October 2025, the High Court overturned the death sentences of four men, including Sharif, and acquitted them of terrorism and murder charges. Another accused, Jang Bahadur, was also cleared of the principal charges.

The court’s decision followed serious doubts over the credibility of the investigation. It found that the police had failed to follow crucial procedures, including conducting a test identification parade to establish the identity of the accused. There were also inconsistencies in the handling of physical evidence, raising questions about whether the firearms, cartridges and grenades allegedly seized during the investigation had been properly secured.

The judges held that these investigative failures had fundamentally weakened the case.

While granting relief from the death sentences, the court retained the convictions under Section 25(1-A) of the Arms Act for possessing prohibited weapons. The four men were sentenced to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and fined Rs 1 lakh each.

Since the bench directed that the period already spent in prison be counted towards their sentences, those who had completed the 10-year term became eligible for release. Sharif was subsequently released from Bareilly Central Jail in November 2025 and returned to his village.

The High Court also left open the possibility of action against police personnel responsible for the investigative lapses. It observed that the outcome could have been different had the case been handled by better-trained investigators and prosecutors.

Acquittal fails to end suspicion against Muslims

Human rights activist Rajeev Yadav said Sharif’s killing is a prime example of how Muslims are still looked at under the microscope, even after the top courts acquit them.

“Even after being acquitted by the High Court, having already spent nearly two decades of his life behind bars, Sharif continued to be treated as a suspect. If the court had acquitted him, what was the need for police verification?” Yadav told Maktoob Media.

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