The Gonda court has recently sentenced 8 people, including 2 women, to life imprisonment for murdering a man around 11 years ago in Balrampur district.
Assistant District Government Advocate (Criminal) Vinay Kumar Singh stated that a fine of Rs 71,750 was also imposed on each of the convicts.
In 2012, the victim’s brother filed a police complaint that Chhotkau Lohar, his brother Ram Murat, sons Jitendra, Dharmendra, and Manvendra, wife Savitri, along with Lavkush, Reena Devi and Vishal Saini forcibly tried to grab a plot of land belonging to the complainant’s father.
However, he said that when the complainant and his brother Rajesh Kumar Pandey tried to stop the convicts from occupying their father’s land and started construction work there, they came under attack with swords, iron rods, and bricks.
Rajesh Kumar Pandey got injured in the attack and was admitted to the district hospital. Later, he was referred to a hospital in Lucknow where he died the next day.
Following an investigation into the case, police filed a charge sheet against Chotkau, Ram Murat, Jitendra, Dharmendra, Manvendra, Lavkush, Savitri Devi, Reena Devi, and Vishal Saini. Afterward, the case got transferred to the Gonda court in 2016 on the Allahabad High Court’s order after advocates in the Balrampur district denied to plead the case on behalf of the accused.
Due to the non-appearance of Vishal Saini in the case, his file was separated.
During the sessions court trial, Additional District and Sessions Judge (First) Pooja Singh sentenced all 8 accused to life imprisonment.
According to the court order, half of the amount of the fine will be given to the inheritor of the deceased that fails to pay the fine will result in additional punishment, prosecuting advocate Awadhesh Shukla said.
