In dramatic twist to murder case, 11-year-old tells Supreme Court 'I am alive'​​

In a dramatic twist during a recent hearing of a special leave petition, an 11-year-old boy from Pilibhit, Uttar Pradesh, stood before a division bench of the Supreme Court and declared that the ongoing murder case involving him was false, Times of India reported. He claimed that his grandfather and uncles had been wrongly accused by his own father. The Supreme Court, acknowledging the boy's plea, ordered that no coercive actions be taken against the accused until further notice. The case is scheduled to be heard again in January next year, as the truth surrounding the alleged murder continues to unfold.

The court issued notices to the Uttar Pradesh government, the superintendent of police in Pilibhit, and the station house officer of Neuria police station. The chain of events leading up to the boy's appearance in court to prove his own existence was revealed by his counsel, Kuldeep Jauhari.

According to the counsel, the boy had been living with his maternal grandfather, a farmer, since February 2013 after his mother was subjected to severe domestic violence by his father, who demanded more dowry from her family. Unfortunately, the mother succumbed to her injuries in March 2013, the counsel said.


Following her tragic death, the grandfather filed a First Information Report (FIR) against his son-in-law under IPC Section 304-B (dowry death). This triggered a bitter legal battle, with the son-in-law seeking custody of his son and both parties filing cases against each other.

Earlier this year, the son-in-law took a drastic step by accusing the grandfather and his four sons of the boy's murder, the counsel said. An FIR was lodged, resulting in the accused being booked under IPC Sections 302 (murder), 504 (intentional insult), and 506 (criminal intimidation) by the police.

In an attempt to quash the FIR, they approached the Allahabad High Court, but their petition was dismissed. Consequently, they had to present themselves, along with the boy, as evidence of his continued existence in the Supreme Court.