BANDIPORA: Nine years after the commission of a crime, a court in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district on Friday sentenced seven persons to imprisonment in a murder case.
Principal district and sessions judge Bandipora convicted all the accused persons who were involved in the killing of labour identified as Nigar Ahmad Dar a resident of Laharwalpora Bandipora.
The main accused Ghulam Hassan Dar son of Habibullah Dar resident of Laharwalpora Bandipora has been sentenced to nine years imprisonment, besides imposing a penalty of Rs 1.5 lakh on him.
The court has further ordered that in default of the payment of fine, the accused shall undergo further imprisonment of 10 years. He was also sentenced to three years imprisonment under section 147 RPC. As the accused has already spent eight years, 10 months and 16 days in prison till date and hence shall serve the remaining sentence period in central jail Srinagar.
The other accused person identified as Noor Mohammad Shangloo son of Ghulam Shangloo, Saleem Dar Adopted son of Mehraj Din Dar, Altaf Dar son of Ahad Dar, Noor Mohammad Dar son of Ramzan Dar, Noor Mohammad Dar son of Samad Dar, Jan Mohammad Dar son of Ramzan Dar- all residents of Chringpora Bandipora have been found guilty under sections 147 RPC and have been sentenced to imprisonment of three years.
The court has further ordered that the period of imprisonment undergone by the accused persons during the investigation, trial of the case shall be set off against the sentence imposed.
“As the persons have already served the jail term during trial, they shall be set free if not involved in any other case,” the court said
The case dates back to October 2012 when a fight had taken place between the villagers of Chringpora and Laharwalpora of district Bandipora. The dispute was with regard to the extraction of sand from the river bed near Haribatho-top.
The Chringpora villagers objected to the extraction of sand by the villagers of Laharwalpora. The exchange of abuses between the two groups led to fight in which one person namely Nigar Ahmad Dar s/o Sadiq Dar resident of Laharwalpora was given blow of stick on his head by the main accused Ghulam Hassan Dar
Thereafter, the body of the deceased Nigar Ahmad Dar was thrown into the river Jhelum which was retrieved by the police after three days. The police after concluding the investigation had produced challan before the court on 27.12.2012.
During the trial of the case, the prosecution examined 19 witnesses while the accused persons have examined four witnesses in their defence. After conducting a full dress trial for a period of more than nine years, the court has found main accused Ghulam Hassan Dar, guilty in killing the deceased Nigar Ahmad Dar and other accused persons involved in the rioting and unlawful restraint.
The victim was represented by public prosecutor advocate Abdul Majeed while the accused persons were represented by Advocate Shuaib Ahmad Deewani—(KNO)
