Panchkula: Ex-councillor’s son among 7 get life term for brutal 2017 murder
The verdict, delivered by additional district and sessions judge Ved Parkash Sirohi, marks the end of a seven-year-long legal battle, bringing justice to victim Virender Singh’s family
A local court in Panchkula has sentenced seven men, including the son of a former councillor, to life in prison for the gruesome murder of a 26-year-old youth in Saketri in 2017.
The verdict, delivered by additional district and sessions judge Ved Parkash Sirohi, marks the end of a seven-year-long legal battle, bringing justice to victim Virender Singh’s family.
The brutal crime occurred on March 13, 2017, under the jurisdiction of the Mansa Devi police station. It unfolded when Virender was forcibly taken from his home and bundled into a car by the accused. His legs were locked in place by rolling up the car’s rear window panes and he was dragged along the road for approximately a kilometre. The violent act left Virender with severe injuries to the face and head. After the assault, the accused abandoned him on the road, where he succumbed to his injuries.
The convicts—Trilok Singh, Talwinder Singh, Manmeet Waraich, Harmanpreet Singh, Vishal Saini, Manjot Singh and Jashanpreet Singh—were found guilty of forming an unlawful assembly, armed with deadly weapons, and forcibly entering the complainant’s house to abduct and murder the victim.
Manmeet, Harmanpreet and Jashanpreet were also proved to have kept in their conscious possession one sword each in contravention of provisions of Arms Act. Further, Manmeet, Trilok, Vishal and Talwinder were proved to have destroyed the SIM cards of their respective cell phones in order to cause disappearance of evidence.
The convicts were sentenced to life imprisonment under Section 302 of the IPC, with additional concurrent sentences under Section 364 (kidnapping for murder) seven years, Section 452 (house trespass) three years, Section 148 (rioting) one year and Section 201 (destruction of evidence) one year. Fines totaling ₹47,000 were also imposed, with 50% directed as compensation to the victim’s mother.
The police investigation revealed that the victim was abducted by a group of men, and forensic evidence confirmed he was tied to a car’s trunk and dragged for several kilometres. Bloodstains were discovered on the road leading to Saketri
The court rejected the plea for leniency based on the convicts’ young ages and their responsibilities as sole breadwinners of their families. It emphasised the gravity of the crime, stating that they did not deserve any leniency in the matter of sentence.