SC stays execution of Rohtak woman’s death sentence

ACCUSED SONAM WAS CONVICTED OF KILLING SEVEN MEMBERS OF HER FAMILY

The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the execution of the death sentence of Sonam, convicted of killing seven members of her family, along with her boyfriend Naveen, at a Rohtak village in Haryana on September 2009.

Sonam was to be sent to the gallows on October 16.

Describing Sonam and Naveen as ‘monsters’, the Punjab and Haryana high court had confirmed their death sentence on July 17, 2018. The execution of the death sentence of Naveen was stayed on September 7.

Sonam, along with her boyfriend Naveen, had killed seven members of her family at Rohtak’s Kabulpur village. Her family was against her wish to marry Naveen who belonged to the same clan- Dagar.

The bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Navin Sinha stayed the execution of the death sentence. The court issued notice to Haryana on the plea by Sonam.She was represented by lawyer A. Sirajudeen.

The two had killed Sonam’s parents (Surender, 45, and Promila, 40), brother Arvind, 15, grandmother Bhuro Devi, 70, and three cousins Vishal, 10, Sonika, 12, and Monica, 14.

The court had called for the record of the case from the high court on September 7, when Naveen’s death sentence was stayed.