The Allahabad High Court has refused to grant anticipatory bail to the aunt (bua) and uncle (fufa) of a woman allegedly murdered in an honour killing in Agra, holding that the allegations against them were serious and that their custodial interrogation was necessary for a fair investigation.
Rejecting the plea, Justice Vivek Kumar Singh observed that anticipatory bail is an extraordinary discretionary relief that must be granted only in exceptional circumstances. At this stage, the Court found sufficient prima facie material to justify the accusations and noted that the investigation was still underway.
The Court also took note of the prosecution’s submission that the applicants had remained absconding for nearly seven months despite the issuance of non-bailable warrants, observing that their conduct weighed against the grant of anticipatory bail.
According to the prosecution, the deceased, Anshu Yadav, was in a relationship opposed by her family. The FIR names seven accused, including the applicants, alleging that on October 24, 2025, one day before her alleged murder, Anshu sent a 29-second video to her partner claiming that her family intended to kill her. She was allegedly murdered on October 25, after which her body was transported in a car and thrown into the Yamuna River near Bhind Bypass in Etawah district.
During the investigation, the victim’s body was recovered at the instance of co-accused Ranveer Singh Yadav, the deceased’s father and a retired Uttar Pradesh Police Station House Officer (SHO). Since the cause of death could not be determined, the victim’s bones and hair were preserved and sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory in Agra for DNA analysis. The investigation remains in progress.
The applicants argued that they had been falsely implicated solely because of their relationship with the deceased’s father. They contended that the video did not contain specific allegations, that there was no forensic confirmation of its authenticity, and that no call records or other evidence placed them at the scene. They also claimed that one of the applicants, a serving Sub-Inspector, was on official duty at the relevant time.
Opposing the plea, the State and the informant argued that the deceased had specifically named the applicants in the video recorded shortly before her death. They further submitted that the investigation indicated the applicants were present on the Yamuna bridge from where the body was allegedly disposed of. The prosecution also contended that, being a serving police officer, one applicant could influence witnesses or tamper with evidence if granted anticipatory bail.
Holding that the investigation was still at a preliminary stage and that custodial interrogation was necessary to uncover the truth, the Court found no basis to conclude that the applicants had been falsely implicated and dismissed the anticipatory bail application.
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