A special judge fast track court in Bareilly sentenced a 19-year-old woman's father and relatives to life imprisonment for murdering her, the police told news agency PTI on Sunday.
The woman, Munni, was forced into an arranged marriage with Devendra on April 22, 2023. She had resisted the marriage as she was in love with another man from her village.
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Additional district and government advocate (ADGC) Harendra Singh Rathore told the court that conflict was brewing between Munni and her in-laws immediately after marriage and tensions were escalating.
Rathore said, the day after her marriage, her father, Totaram, along with four other relatives, took her back from her in-laws' home and poured acid on her. Munni succumbed to her injuries during treatment.
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A case was registered against Munni's father and the four others involved in the crime on April 25, 2023, at Fatehganj West police station. The charges included murder and criminal conspiracy under the Indian penal code, said Rathore.
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The AGDC added that the prosecution had presented 17 witnesses during the trial and special judge Ashok Kumar Yadav, on Saturday, had found the accused guilty.
{{/usCountry}}The AGDC added that the prosecution had presented 17 witnesses during the trial and special judge Ashok Kumar Yadav, on Saturday, had found the accused guilty.
{{/usCountry}}Totaram, Dinesh, Chhedalal, Pappu and Khubkaran alias Dodi, were also sentenced to life imprisonment and would have to pay a fine of ₹40,000 each.
In August as well, a woman was murdered by six members of her family in Muzzafarnagar, for marrying a man from a different caste. The accused in the case were also sentenced to life imprisonment and fined ₹35,000 each. In that case, four other women who were also relatives of the victim, were acquitted due to insufficient evidence.