Mainpuri,

25 July (HS): A court in Mainpuri sentenced three men to life in jail and fined

a Rs 25,000 punishment each for the murder of a man during the 2015 village

panchayat elections in the Dannahar region, according to a government counsel. One

accused was acquitted due to a lack of evidence. According to government lawyer Vipin Kumar

Chaturvedi, additional district and sessions judge Chetna Chauhan delivered the

verdict in the murder of 40-year-old Mahesh Kumar of Bamhori village. According

to the prosecution, Mahesh was campaigning for a gram pradhan candidate called

Muzori on December 5, 2015, alongside four others: Manoj, Bhupendra, Uttam, and

Indresh. The group allegedly harbored a grudge against Mahesh.

Later

that day, after a daylong campaign, Bhupendra, Uttam, and Indresh reportedly

ordered Manoj to murder Mahesh. According to the lawyer, Manoj fatally shot

Mahesh with a country-made handgun (tamancha) in response to their provocation.

Following an inquiry, police charged Manoj, Uttam, and Indresh, however

Bhupendra was cleared. According to Chaturvedi, the court called Bhupendra for

trial.After reviewing witnesses and documentary evidence, Judge Chauhan ruled

Manoj, Uttam, and Indresh guilty of murder, but acquitted Bhupendra owing to

inadequate evidence, he stated.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi