A consensual relationship turning sour or partners becoming distant cannot be a ground for invoking criminal machinery and such conduct “not only burdens the courts but also blots the identity of accused”, the Supreme Court said.

Once a trusted gunman of Maoist chief Basavaraju, Babu Kawasi has laid down his arms.

An engineer with Himachal Pradesh Power Corporation went missing from Shimla on March 10. Eight days later, Vimal Negi’s body was found under mysterious circumstances in a lake in Bilaspur district on March 18.