Punjab & Haryana High Court Acquits Late MLA Om Prakash Hitler’s Sons In 30-Year-Old Murder Case

Last Updated:July 16, 2025, 18:27 IST

The court set aside the 2004 conviction for the teenager’s death. Om Prakash Hitler was an archrival of former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala

The court observed that the initial FIR made no mention of any of the present appellants being responsible, and even in later statements, the credibility of witnesses appeared compromised. (Representational image)

In a significant judgment, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has acquitted three sons of former Haryana MLA Om Prakash alias “Om Prakash Hitler" in a 30-year-old murder case, citing serious doubts over the credibility of the prosecution’s evidence and the possibility of political vendetta.

The division bench comprising Justices Gurvinder Singh Gill and Jasjit Singh Bedi set aside the 2004 conviction of Manoj Kumar Sihag, Sanjay Sihag, and Sandeep Sihag, who were sentenced to life imprisonment for allegedly exhorting their father, Om Prakash, to shoot a 13-year-old boy, Jeet Ram, during a wedding celebration in February 1995. The fourth accused, Om Prakash, passed away during the pendency of the appeal.

The incident dates back to February 26, 1995, when Jeet Ram, a teenager attending a wedding hosted by Om Prakash Hitler in village Chautala, sustained gunshot injuries and later died. An FIR was promptly registered under Section 304-A IPC for causing death by negligence, based on the victim’s father Madan Lal’s statement that the death resulted from accidental celebratory firing. An untraced report was accepted by the magistrate in 1996.

However, over four years later, Madan Lal moved a fresh application in 1999, alleging that the death was not accidental but a deliberate murder committed by Om Prakash and his sons, following a verbal altercation at the event. This led to a reinvestigation and subsequent framing of murder charges under Sections 302 and 302/109 IPC.

In 2004, the Sessions Court convicted all five accused and sentenced them to life imprisonment. Om Prakash and Darbara Singh, another co-accused, later died during the pendency of the appeal.

The High Court expressed serious reservations about the timing and reliability of the prosecution’s key witnesses, Duli Chand and Bhajan Lal, who surfaced only in 1999, over four years after the incident. The bench noted that both individuals were politically aligned with then-chief minister Om Prakash Chautala, a political rival of the accused, and had pending or past enmity with Om Prakash Hitler.

The court observed that the initial FIR made no mention of any of the present appellants being responsible, and even in later statements, the credibility of witnesses appeared compromised. “Apparently, the statement of this witness has been procured belatedly at the behest of the investigating agency possibly on account of political interference," the HC remarked.

Furthermore, inconsistencies in ballistic evidence and the post-mortem report cast doubt on the prosecution’s claim that a licensed .12 bore DBBL gun allegedly used by Om Prakash had caused the fatal injury. The firearm was only entered into the accused’s licence record months after the incident.

“The evidence brought on record cannot be said to be of such sterling quality so as to unequivocally point towards the guilt of the accused," the bench ruled, emphasising that the delay in naming and examining key witnesses raised serious concerns about the integrity of the investigation.

Setting aside the conviction and sentence passed by the Sessions Court in 2004, the High Court acquitted Manoj Kumar Sihag, Sanjay Sihag, and Sandeep Sihag of all charges.

News politics Punjab & Haryana High Court Acquits Late MLA Om Prakash Hitler’s Sons In 30-Year-Old Murder Case