Bail Granted to Ravinder Chaudhary in Daughter’s Murder Case as DNA Test Raises Doubts on Victim’s Identity

A man accused of murdering his daughter in a fit of anger and disposing of her body in a lake has been granted bail by a court in New Delhi. The court ruled that there was a strong possibility that the body recovered from the lake was not that of the victim, and it would be unfair to keep the accused in custody while awaiting further trial.

The accused, Ravinder Chaudhary, allegedly strangled his daughter on January 18, 2020. The prosecution claimed that the victim, who had married against her father’s wishes, had come to visit her parents when the incident occurred. After killing his daughter, Chaudhary allegedly threw her body into a lake in Bulandshahr. The body was recovered 12 days later.

The court’s decision to grant bail was based on the findings of the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), which conducted a DNA examination. The FSL determined that the DNA profile of Chaudhary and his wife did not match the DNA profile obtained from the tooth and bone of the body found in the lake. Chaudhary’s counsel argued that since the alleged victim could not be identified as the accused’s biological daughter, his detention should not be extended.

The court also considered the fact that another female had undergone a postmortem examination on the same day and at the same hospital as the victim. The possibility of biological samples being switched between the two deceased females was raised by the prosecution. A repeated DNA test confirmed that the two DNA profiles did not match, leading to the conclusion that the body recovered from the lake may not be that of the accused’s daughter.

While the prosecution may still present additional evidence to establish the accused’s presence near the lake or photographic evidence to confirm the victim’s identity, the court deemed it imprudent to keep Chaudhary in custody, especially considering that he had already been in custody for over three and a half years. The court acknowledged that even the examination of photographs by the FSL expert did not provide sufficient reference material for comparison.

The court granted bail to Chaudhary on the condition that he submit a personal bond of Rs 50,000. The case is scheduled to proceed further on December 21.