State Gazette

The verdict comes as a heavy blow to the Delhi police, especially in the light of the bench’s observation that "the prosecution has not been able to sustain the charges against him (Geelani)". The court said the only evidence linking Geelani to the attack was the phone conversation he had with Afzal and Hussain, "but by itself, and without anything more on record, it is not sufficient...." It also said there is no evidence on record to establish that Geelani was in touch with the actual attackers.

On the role of Afsan Guru, the bench observed that "she was admittedly a housewife.... Merely because some meetings took place, assuming it to be correct, in the house would not be sufficient by itself to impute knowledge". Lawyer Ram Jethmalani welcomed Geelani’s acquittal saying the verdict "will restore the confidence of J&K’s inhabitants in the integrity and competence of the Indian judicial system".

By Sailesh Mishra