Chandigarh: Four awarded life sentence for murdering Haryana youth

The victim, Kuldeepak Sharma, 26, from Kaithal, Haryana, was stabbed to death in Mauli Jagran after a petty argument; his brother Abhishek Sharma and friend Shahbaz were also injured as they intervened to save him

A local court has awarded life imprisonment to four youths for stabbing a Haryana native to death in Mauli Jagran on Diwali night in 2022.

On Wednesday, the court held them guilty, observing that it was proven that all convicts in furtherance of their common intention attacked and killed Kuldeepak, and attempted to kill the others. (Shutterstock)

Three of the convicts, Roop Basant, alias Bhola; Ampik alias Gulli; and Ghanish, alias Dhanish, are residents of Mauli Jagran village, while the fourth, Arjun Thakur, alias Munna, hails from Agra. They are all in their early 20s

Holding them guilty under Sections 302 (murder) and 307 (attempt to murder), read with Section 34 (acts done in furtherance of common intention), of the Indian Penal Code, the court of additional district and sessions judge Jaibir Singh also imposed a fine of ₹15,000 each on the convicts.

The victim, Kuldeepak Sharma, 26, from Kaithal, Haryana, was stabbed to death in Mauli Jagran after a petty argument. His brother Abhishek Sharma and friend Shahbaz were also injured as they intervened to save him.

The case was registered on the statement of Abhishek, who told police that he and his brother had visited their maternal aunt’s house in Mauli Jagran to celebrate Diwali. Later, they went to a nearby park to meet two friends Deepu and Shahbaz.

There, Kuldeepak got into an argument with four youths, who attacked him with a knife, before turning on his brother and friends as well. Deepu rushed Kuldeepak, Abhishek and Shahbaz to the civil hospital in Sector 6, Panchkula, in his vehicle. But Kuldeepak was declared dead.

On the basis of Abhishek’s complaint, police had booked the four accused for murder, attempt to murder and causing hurt by dangerous weapons at the Mauli Jagran police station. They were subsequently arrested.

On Wednesday, the court held them guilty, observing that it was proven that all convicts in furtherance of their common intention attacked and killed Kuldeepak, and attempted to kill the others.

Before the sentence was announced on Thursday, the convicts pleaded for leniency, stating they had elderly parents and younger siblings to look after. Also, they were not previous convicts and sentencing them for a longer period may adversely affect their families as well as their future.

On the other hand, public prosecutor Hukam Singh argued that in the instant case, deterrent punishment should be awarded in favour of the convicts in view of the nature of offence committed by them. Singh argued that even the deceased was a young person and due to the murder, his family had suffered tremendously and the injured persons had also suffered at the hands of the convicts.

After hearing both sides, the court sentenced the four convicts to life in prison.