In a culpable homicide case in Kulgam district of Jammu and Kashmir, three individuals have been sentenced to seven years of rigorous imprisonment.
Kulgam Additional Sessions Judge Parvaiz Iqbal also imposed a fine of Rs one lakh each on the convicts, Mohammad Amin Bhat, Rauf Ahmed Bhat and Younis Ahmed Bhat.
The judge stated that failure to pay the fine would result in an additional six months of rigorous imprisonment. However, the judge considered the period of detention already undergone by the accused during the trial.
The case stems from an altercation that occurred between the three convicts and the victim, Bashir Ahmad Parray, in Kulgam district on September 9, 2016, which ultimately led to Parray’s death at a hospital in Srinagar. The judge convicted the three individuals of culpable homicide, noting that they had no prior enmity with the deceased.
While the accused requested leniency, citing their familial relationship and the significant hardships their incarceration had imposed on them and their families, the prosecution vehemently opposed this plea. The prosecution, led by additional public prosecutor Zia ur Rehman Khan, argued that it would be a miscarriage of justice to allow the accused to escape the full penalty of the law given the evidence against them. Khan emphasized that such leniency would erode public confidence in the judicial system and stressed the court’s duty to impose an appropriate sentence to uphold justice.
