No beard, but ‘shaving marks’ link body to missing man: Court backs murder conviction

The Delhi High Court upheld the conviction of Hasmat Ali for the murder of businessman Mohd Hanif, dismissing his appeal based on the presence of shaving marks on the recovered body. The defence had challenged the identification of the body, arguing that the clean-shaven man found in Bulandshahar could not be conclusively linked to the clean-shaven Hanif.

However, the court found that the discrepancy in the beard was not a reasonable doubt about Hanif's identity, as the body also displayed fresh shaving marks. The court relied on statements from witnesses, including Ali, Hanif's son, and a shopkeeper, which supported the identification of the body based on the recovered clothes. The high court held that the prosecution's circumstantial evidence formed a complete chain of evidence pointing to Ali's guilt and dismissed the appeal, directing Ali to surrender to the jail superintendent within two weeks to serve the remaining sentence.