New Delhi, Dec 09: The Supreme Court on Monday granted interim bail to Sabzar Ahmad Sofi of Bijbehara, Anantnag who, on the reversal of acquittal by the J&K High Court, was taken back into custody nearly 19 years after he had been acquitted by a trial court.

Sofi had been acquitted on 5 March 2005 by the Sessions Court, Anantnag, in connection with a 2001 incident arising out of an irrigation dispute.

The trial court had held that the prosecution failed to prove its case, noting contradictions in witness testimonies and the absence of reliable corroboration.

The State appealed the acquittal in 2006, but the appeal remained undecided for almost two decades.

On 30 July 2025, the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh reversed the acquittal, convicted Sofi under Section 304 Part II RPC

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