Nadeem Nadu
Srinagar, Feb 28 :
A Srinagar court on Saturday sentenced a 23-year-old man to life imprisonment after convicting him in a murder case registered at Police Station Safakadal.
According to the sentence order passed by the Court of Principal Sessions Judge Srinagar, as per news agency Kashmir News Corner — KNC, Haq Nawaz Zargar, in FIR No. 226/2022 under Section 302 IPC, the accused Umar Farooq Mam, son of Farooq Ahmad Mam, a resident of Kowser Colony, Palpora Noor Bagh, was convicted for the murder of his sister-in-law.
The court observed that the convict had inflicted a fatal blow with a butcher’s knife on the head of the deceased, resulting in her death. While the prosecution sought capital punishment citing the brutality of the crime, the defence argued for leniency on grounds of the convict’s young age and lack of prior criminal record.
After weighing aggravating and mitigating circumstances and referring to legal principles laid down by the Supreme Court in “rarest of rare” cases, the court held that though the offence was grave and heinous, it did not fall within the category warranting the death penalty.
Accordingly, the court sentenced the convict to rigorous imprisonment for life and imposed a fine of Rs 50,000. The fine amount, if deposited, shall be paid as compensation to the minor daughter of the deceased. In addition, the court directed the State to provide Rs 5 lakh as compensation under the Jammu & Kashmir Victim Compensation Scheme, 2019, to be kept in a fixed deposit in the name of the minor daughter until she attains majority, with liberty to the guardian to utilise the interest for her welfare and education.
The convict has been lodged in Central Jail Srinagar and informed of his right to file an appeal before the High Court within fourteen days. (KNC)