3 accused get life term for murder of Ankit Saxena
A court here on Thursday awarded rigorous life imprisonment to three people convicted of killing photographer Ankit Saxena in February 2018 over an interfaith love affair, saying the death sentence in the case was not justified.
Additional sessions judge Sunil Kumar Sharma was hearing the case against Akbar Ali and Shahnaz Begum, the parents of Saxena’s girlfriend Shehzadi, and maternal uncle Mohammad Salim.
“After balancing the aggravating and mitigating circumstances, if the court comes to the conclusion that there is a possibility of rehabilitation of the convicts, a death sentence is not justified,” the judge said.
Special public prosecutors, senior advocate Rebecca Mammen John and Vishal Gosain, appeared for the Delhi police.
The court noted that when the crime was committed, Salim was 43 years old, while Ali and Begum were 40. They have been in judicial custody for around six years, it said.
“They had clean antecedents having no previous involvement. Further, no history of any criminal inclination, drug abuse, or any other addiction has been brought on record. Before being arrested in this case, the convicts were living with their families and were wellrooted in society,” the court said.
“Hence, considering the mitigating and aggravating circumstances, age, gender, social background, previous antecedents and the period of custody already undergone as well as their family responsibilities, this court is of the opinion that it is not a fit case for imposition of the death penalty,” the judge said.