Nearly three years after killing a 73 -year -old 73 -year -old 73 -year -old leader, the Varanasi court on Friday sentenced 16 people to life imprisonment in the murder case.
Police said the victim, Pashuti Nath was attacked during an attempt to save his son Raj Kumar Singh (42), who objected to the accused to create a disturbance at a liquor shop under his residence.
On Thursday, all 16 convicts – who were out on bail – were found guilty of riots, murder, attempt to murder and common intentions in the court. He was sent to jail and the court on Friday decided to pronounce the sentence.
On Friday, the accused – the age between 25 and 45 years – was brought from the district jail to court.
Public lawyer Manoj Gupta said, “The court sentenced all the 16 accused to life imprisonment and also imposed a fine.”
The court investigated eight prosecution and three defense witnesses during the trial.
Nath was also a social worker, a resident of Sigra region of Varanasi. Most of the accused are also residents of the same area.
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Defense lawyer Virendra Pathak said that he would appeal for a sentence in the High Court.
According to the prosecution, the incident took place on October 12, 2022 under the jurisdiction of Sigra Police Station in Jai Prakash Nagar Colony. The trouble began when four people, including Mantu Saroj, Rahul Saroj and two others, created an uproar at a liquor store, which is situated on the ground floor of Nath’s house.
Hearing about the struggle, Pashupati Nath’s son, Raj Kumar Singh, reached the spot and objected to the behavior of the accused, which led to a hot argument. Some local residents also gathered during the exchange. The accused eventually left, warned Raj Kumar that he would “teach him a lesson.”
After a while, the accused returned with more colleagues and started an attack on Raj Kumar.
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Hearing the ruckus, his father (Nath) stepped up to intervene, but armed with the attackers, sticks and iron rods, beaten him. Nath lost consciousness and was rushed to a hospital, but died due to injuries on the way.
An FIR was registered at Sigra Police Station, 18 persons including two minors. During the investigation, the police confirmed the participation of all 18 and filed a charge sheet. The two teenage cases were separated, while the remaining 16 were placed on the test. Government lawyer Manoj Gupta said that the case related to minors is pending before the Juvenile Justice Board.
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