UP: Father, son among four get life term for farmer's murder in 2007

A sessions court sentenced four persons to life imprisonment in a 2007 murder of a farmer in Uttar Pradesh's Muzaffarnagar district.

The court on Thursday pronounced the verdict against Santa Singh, his son Sanju, relatives Mahabir and Shishpal for murdering Mukesh.

According to public prosecutor Omprakash Upadhyay, Mukesh was shot dead while he was asleep at his house in Bhokahedi village under Bhopa police station limits in the district on August 15, 2007.

The four men killed Mukesh over an enmity, he added.

In the judgment, additional district sessions judge Ombir Singh imposed a fine of Rs 1.1 lakh each on the four convicts after holding them guilty under Sections 302 (punishment for murder) and 460 (all persons jointly concerned in lurking house-trespass or house-breaking by night punishable where death or grievous hurt caused by one of them) of the Indian Penal Code.

The court also directed them to pay Rs 4 lakh from the fine to the deceased man's mother, who had filed an FIR in the aftermath of Mukesh's murder.

During investigation, police recovered three pistols from Shishpal, Sanju and Mahabir that was used in the killing.

The three men were convicted and sentenced to five years in jail and fined Rs 1,000 each under Section 25 of the Arms Act.