Nagpur: In a significant twist in the Yashodhara Nagar murder case, a Nagpur court upheld the arrest of murder accused Mujammil alias Mujju Hasan Ali (20) after police produced his school records showing that he had studied Marathi and scored marks in the subject, countering the defence’s claim that he did not understand the language.

Mujammil was arrested on June 10 for the alleged murder of Mohammad Salman Mohammad Ashfaq (22), a resident of Sangharsh Nagar, who was killed on June 9.

When the accused was produced before the Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) court on June 11, the defence argued that the grounds of arrest under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) were communicated in Marathi, a language allegedly not understood by him. Accepting the argument, the court declared the arrest illegal and ordered his release.

However, Yashodhara Nagar police re-arrested the accused on June 11, citing the need for custodial interrogation in the murder probe. During the subsequent hearing, the defence objected to the re-arrest, claiming the accused had already been released.

The prosecution argued that the earlier release was not equivalent to bail, as no bail bond or surety had been executed. Police also submitted the accused’s school marksheets, which showed Marathi as a subject and indicated that he had obtained marks in it.

After examining the records, the court held that the accused’s earlier release could not be treated as a grant of bail and ruled that the fresh arrest was legally valid.

Observing that crucial evidence, including the weapon and mobile phone, was yet to be recovered, the court granted police custody remand till June 16 for further investigation.