A Muzaffarnagar court has sentenced two men to death for the brutal murder of a 30-year-old farmer in 2018, whose partially burnt body was discovered in a field. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1.10 lakh on each convict.
Verdict and Observations
Additional District and Sessions Judge Ravi Kumar Diwakar delivered the verdict on Saturday, stating that "human life is a beautiful thing and a person who takes another's life forfeits his own right to live and does not deserve the society's sympathy." He added that "justice demands such offenders face the consequences of their actions."
Details of the Crime
According to Additional District Government Counsel (ADGC) Kuldeep Kumar, on June 4, 2018, a farmer discovered the charred remains of a man inside a eucalyptus plantation in Muzaffarnagar's Meerapur police limits. The deceased was identified as Rajender Saini of Kheri Sarai village.
Rajender's brother, Jayvinder Saini, filed a complaint alleging that Rajender had been taken from his home by Veersain, a resident of neighboring Kakrauli village, who suspected Rajender of having an illicit relationship with his wife.
Investigation and Trial
An FIR was registered under Indian Penal Code sections 302 (murder) and 201 (destruction of evidence) against Veersain and his associates Gajendra, 42, and Ramkiran, 45, both from Meerut's Mohammadpur village. The investigation revealed that the victim was forced to consume alcohol and then strangled to death. His body was burned to destroy evidence.
The three accused were arrested and sent to jail. During the trial, the main accused, Veersain, died. While sentencing Gajendra and Ramkiran to death, the court observed: "The crime shows the convicts became so consumed by rage, revenge and a perceived injury to their honour that they resorted to the merciless killing of Rajender Saini. The act of burning the body establishes that they were fully aware of their conduct and attempted to destroy evidence to evade detection."
