Indore News: High Court Jolt To Turncoat Akshay Bam, His Father

Indore (Madhya Pradesh): In a major blow to turncoat Akshay Bam and his father Kantilal Bam, Indore Bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court has dismissed a criminal revision filed by them, upholding the framing of attempt to murder charges against them in a 2007 land dispute that turned violent.

Justice Gajendra Singh, pronouncing the reserved order on October 31, rejected the plea challenging the legality of the additional sessions judge’s March 7 order. The petitioners had argued that there was no evidence of firing or intent to kill complainant Yunus Patel and that the inclusion of Section 307 was politically motivated.

The case dates back to October 4, 2007, when a fight allegedly broke out on agricultural land near Kanadia Bypass, leading to registration of a case at Khajrana police station. According to the FIR, Kantilal Bam, Akshay Bam, and others arrived armed with guns and allegedly opened fire to kill Patel. Police recovered a .12 bore gun with a used cartridge from the spot.

The defence contended that the firing claim was an afterthought, made 12 days later and that the case was filed as a “counterblast” to another FIR lodged earlier against the complainant. They further claimed that Akshay Bam, who was a Congress candidate in 2024, was targeted for political reasons. Bam had switched to BJP during 2024 Lok Sabha.

However, the court held that the presence of a firearm, used cartridge and witness statements created a “grave suspicion” sufficient for framing of charges. It observed that injury is not a prerequisite for invoking Section 307 IPC, emphasising that intent and circumstances are decisive factors.

Concluding that there was no illegality in the trial court’s decision, High Court dismissed the revision petition, clearing the way for the trial to proceed on attempt-to-murder charges.