High court upholds life sentence to one accused, acquits two

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court has upheld life sentence for one person, while acquitting two others in the murder case of a Hisar man in July 2008.

As per police, 20-year-old Sandeep alias Ajju was abducted from the wedding ceremony of his elder brother and later shot dead near Raipur village. His bullet-riddled body was found the next day.

The HC has upheld life sentence for Sandeep Sheokand, a local youth, who as per the prosecution had an old enmity with the victim. The court, however, acquitted Vijender and Dinesh Kumar, both of whom were awarded life sentence by a trial court.

Four others — Ashok, Anil Kumar, Rakesh alias Rocky and Shamsher Singh — who were convicted of harbouring the accused were also acquitted by the HC. The trial court had sentenced them four years in jail. The FIR in the case was registered in July 2008 and the district and sessions court had convicted these seven persons in a May 2014 judgment, which was subsequently challenged in the HC.

As per the victim’s family, Sandeep Sheokand, along with some other youths, came to the wedding venue on July 19, 2008 and took away Ajju.

The court observed that entire case was based on circumstantial evidence.

“No independent witness was produced by the prosecution to prove the charges against the co-accused that they had harboured the prime accused,” the court observed, further adding that it was necessary to establish commission of an offence; harbouring or concealing the person known or believed to be the offender; and such concealment must be with the intention of screening him from legal punishment.

“In the present case, all the ingredients are lacking. The evidence produced by the prosecution is insufficient … even as all the ingredients are necessary to be proved,” the court said.