Ramkrishan Upadhyay
Chandigarh, November 14
A local court has sentenced an Assistant Sub-Inspector of Punjab Police to undergo life imprisonment for killing his younger brother and sister-in-law in Ram Darbar Chandigarh last year.
The court of Additional Sessions Judge Rajeev K. Beri also imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on the convict.
As per the prosecution, ASI Harswaroop killed his younger brother Prem Gyan Sagar and sister-in-law Divya following an argument over water supply at their two-storey house in 2021.
Harswaroop was staying with his wife, son and daughter on the ground floor, while Prem’s family was staying on the first floor. The two brothers had married two sisters.
According to prosecution, a fight erupted on the day of the incident on June 22, 2021 and ASI went to the first floor and allegedly attacked Prem while he was having dinner.
Prem was stabbed multiple times. As his wife Divya intervened to save him, she, too, was stabbed. Police said Divya died the same night.
After battling for his life for three days, Prem succumbed to his injuries at GMCH-32. Prem was working as a delivery man with Swiggy. The police arrested the accused the same night.
After investigation the police filed charge sheet against the accused.
Finding prima facie case the court framed murder charges against the accused to which he pleaded not guilty.
Public prosecutor argued that the CFSL reports of the blood samples collected from the spot and the knife on the spot have proved the prosecution case. CFSL reports confirm that the blood samples found are the same.
On the other hand, defence counsel argued that the accused was falsely implicated in the case and the main witness, 13-year-old son of the deceased also turned hostile. He said there is no witness who proved the case of the prosecution.
However, the court relied upon the forensic reports and other evidences and convicted the accused. The court said that the blood stain present on the ‘baniyan’ of deceased Prem Gian Sagar matched with the blood stains collected from capri and T-shirt of the accused, and ‘salwar’ of deceased Divya.
The court said the findings, coupled with the outcome of medical evidence nailed the accused and directly connected him with the crime. The knife used by him to cause stab wounds to both Prem Gian Sagar and Divya was the one produced in the court and it had the blood stains of both these deceased. These matched with the stains of blood present on clothes of deceased and the accused.
“The nature and gravity of offence committed by the convict do not leave any reason with the court to treat him with leniency, but keeping in view the entire facts, circumstances, age and antecedents of convict, this Court does not feel that this case is one of the ‘rarest of the rare’ cases and, therefore, the convict is sentenced to undergo Life Imprisonment and to pay a fine of Rs 25,000 for commission of offence under Section 302 of Indian Penal Code. In default of payment of fine, the convict shall further undergo rigorous imprisonment for a period of two years,” the court said in the order.
