Alld HC refuses relief to 6 men convicted for murder 43 yrs ago

Prayagraj: The Allahabad high court has upheld the life imprisonment of six men convicted in a 1982 murder case, affirming a Saharanpur trial court judgment delivered in 1983 and dismissing their criminal appeals.A division bench of Justice Siddharth and Justice Vinai Kumar Dwivedi ruled that the remaining convicts will continue to serve their sentences. The court upheld the trial court’s November 17, 1983 verdict, which had found them guilty of murder, attempt to murder and other offences under the IPC.The appeals were filed by Satish, Shiv Kumar, Ashok, Bhupat, Rakesh, Vijay and Vikram against their conviction in a sessions trial arising from a case registered at Haridwar police station, then part of Saharanpur district.According to the prosecution, the accused stabbed Satish Kumar to death on August 10, 1982, following enmity. After investigation, police filed a chargesheet, and the trial court convicted all seven accused, sentencing them to life imprisonment.During the pendency of the appeals, one of the convicts, Rakesh, died, leading to abatement of proceedings against him. The high court adjudicated the appeals of the remaining six—Satish, Shiv Kumar, Ashok, Bhupat, Vijay and Vikram.Dismissing the appeals, the bench found no grounds to interfere with the trial court’s findings. It noted that the evidence clearly established that the accused had surrounded the victim and assaulted him at the time of the incident.“The criminal appeals filed by the accused are devoid of merit and are liable to be dismissed. The judgment and order of conviction and sentence passed by the trial court on November 17, 1983, deserve to be affirmed,” the court said in its June 8 order.Earlier, after their conviction, the accused had secured bail from the high court. However, when neither they nor their counsel appeared during hearings, the court issued non-bailable warrants. The accused were subsequently arrested and are currently lodged in jail.