What is the difference between “acquittal” and “exoneration”?
(Soji Mathew, Manali) Very often an innocent man is accused of a crime and dragged to court. After the judge has heard both sides of the case, he usually finds him not guilty; the judge acquits the man of the crime. This formal declaration made by the judge in a court of law is called an acquittal. The “a” in the first and final syllable is pronounced like the “a” in “china”. The second syllable, which has the main stress, is pronounced like the word “quit”. *The trial resulted in an acquittal for the three men charged with first-degree murder. The word “exoneration” has more or less the same meaning as “acquittal”. When a judge exonerates someone of something, he is pronouncing the person not guilty. He doesn’t find any evidence that the accused has done anything wrong. Unlike the word “acquittal”, someone other than a judge can exonerate a person. For example, in government offices whenever something goes wrong, a committee is formed to determine the causes. The chairperson is also a
