A court in Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda has sentenced five men, including a father-son duo and two siblings, to life imprisonment in connection with a 2018 murder and attempted murder case.
The court of Additional Sessions Judge and Special Judge (POCSO Act) Rajesh Narayan Mani Tripathi also imposed a fine on the convicts on Friday (April 11, 2025).
According to Additional District Government Counsel (Criminal) Manmohan Mishra, a complaint was lodged on November 14, 2018, at the Kaudhiya police station by a man named Ramdayal, a resident of Ahiyachet village.
He alleged that his brother Rameshwar Prasad and nephew Ram Anuj were attacked with a hoe over a land dispute while returning from their fields.
The accused — Maniram (62) and his Mata Prasad (35); Rajesh Kumar (35) and Madhavraj (40), sons of Ram Kailash; and Sanwali Prasad (70), son of Budhai — were all residents of the same village. Ramdayal claimed that the accused attacked his relatives with the intent to kill, he said.
Rameshwar Prasad succumbed to his injuries the same day at the district hospital, while his nephew was severely injured.
“Following the incident, police registered a case under various Sections of the Indian Penal Code, including 147 (rioting), 148 (armed with deadly weapons), 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), 325, 323, 504, and 506, and filed a charge sheet in court after investigation,” he added.
During the trial, Additional Sessions Judge and Special Judge (POCSO Act) Rajesh Narayan Mani Tripathi reviewed the evidence on record, witness testimonies, and legal arguments from both sides. “Finding the five accused guilty, the court sentenced each of them to life imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹29,500,” the lawyer said.
“The judge also ruled that in case of non-payment of the fine, each convict would serve an additional 26 months in prison. The time already served in custody will be counted towards their sentence,” he said.
Published – April 12, 2025 11:54 am IST
