An Agra court on Tuesday sentenced a 33-year-old man to death for shooting dead his younger sister and injuring his sister-in-law over a property dispute and a pending rent of Rs 80,000 in 2022. The court also imposed a hefty fine of Rs 4,20,000 on the convict.
Details of the Incident
According to additional district government counsel Poonam Gupta, on November 26, 2022, the convict Lalit Chaudhary shot at his sister Poonam Chaudhary, 27, and sister-in-law Neelu Chaudhary, 34, after seeing them locking their father’s shop, which was at the center of the dispute. Lalit used to collect a rent of Rs 80,000 per month from the premises. Notably, the dispute over the undivided property started after their father’s sudden death.
Location and Legal Proceedings
The incident took place at Bhogipura in Agra’s Shahganj area. After the firing incident, Neelu, a key witness, filed a complaint under IPC sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder) and the Arms Act at Shahganj.
In the complaint, Neelu stated that Lalit had also stopped “sending her share of the rental income”. When confronted over the claim to property and rent on November 26, he fired upon the duo. Poonam was struck by two bullets and died on the spot, while Neelu was shot in her arm and critically injured. Police arrested Lalit two days later, following a brief encounter. Three charge sheets were thereafter filed.
Defense and Verdict
Lalit rejected all allegations. In his defense, he told the court that he was not present at the spot and was framed to grab their father’s property. The prosecution presented 12 witnesses, including Poonam’s statement, along with technical evidence. After hearing both sides, the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Mridul Dubey held Lalit guilty. The convict pleaded for minimum punishment due to his “young age”; however, the court dismissed his plea and pronounced the death penalty.
