E-Paper
Gujarat: Bhavnagar court sentences man to life for murdering live-in partner at ST bus stand
A Bhavnagar court convicted Faizal Lakhani in the Kajal Baraiya murder case, citing eyewitness accounts, CCTV footage and forensic evidence.
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A sessions court in Gujarat’s Bhavnagar has sentenced Faizal alias Khatki Rafikbhai Lakhani to life imprisonment for murdering his live-in partner, Kajalben Dilipbhai Baraiya, at the Bhavnagar ST Bus Stand, holding the charges proved beyond reasonable doubt on eyewitness testimonies, CCTV footage, forensic evidence and the postmortem report.
The court’s verdict came just over two months after the murder, with district and sessions judge R.V. Bukhari convicting Lakhani in the case registered by the Nilambag Police on September 4.
The prosecution, led by Special Public Prosecutor Utpal Dave, relied on eyewitness testimonies, CCTV footage, forensic evidence and the postmortem report from Sir T. Hospital.
Gujarat minister Harsh Sanghavi posted on X: “62 days. Life imprisonment until the last breath. In the Kajal Baraiya murder case in Bhavnagar, swift investigation by Bhavnagar Police and a strong prosecution led to a landmark verdict. Gujarat’s zero tolerance for crimes against women is clear.”
According to the complaint, Kajalben was attacked at the main gate of the Bhavnagar ST Bus Stand on September 3 between 3 pm and 4 pm. Her mother, Bhaguben, told police that the couple had lived together on the footpath near the bus stand for around eight years and often quarrelled.
An eyewitness said Faizal arrived, accused Kajalben of having a relationship with the eyewitness while he was in jail, then kicked and threw her down, slamming her onto the tiles. She died at Sir T. Hospital.
According to a statement by the Nilambag Police, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) under Range Inspector General (IG) Rajendra Asari, Superintendent of Police (SP) Nitesh Pandey and Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) R.R. Singhal filed the charge sheet on October 4, completing the investigation process within 31 days, in what police said was the first such case in the district.
Police said Lakhani, a native of Vartej living on the bus stand footpath, had been involved in five to six earlier cases, including loot, violence and assault on police. He had been released on bail with the victim’s help shortly before the murder.
The press statement also said that the accused arranged the kidnapping of a key eyewitness and kept him confined for three days to prevent him from testifying; a separate case was registered, and the witness later deposed in court.
Days after the murder, during the reconstruction of the crime scene, police flogged Lakhani at the same spot, with officials claiming that the action was taken to appease public sentiment. A video of the flogging was widely shred on social media.
