Ranchi: The Jharkhand High Court has upheld the life imprisonment awarded to Rahul Verma and Lakhan Verma, who were convicted in the sensational murder case of Dhanbad’s Additional District and Sessions Judge Uttam Anand.
A division bench headed by Justice Rongon Mukhopadhyay on Tuesday dismissed the criminal appeals filed by the two convicts and refused to interfere with the verdict delivered by the trial court.
While pronouncing its judgment, the court described the incident as an attack on the judiciary.
The two convicts had challenged the sentence handed down by the CBI court in Dhanbad and approached the High Court seeking relief.
During the hearing, the division bench called for the lower court records and examined them along with the submissions made by both sides.
After reviewing the evidence and arguments, the court dismissed the appeals, thereby affirming the conviction and sentence. Advocate Sabyasachi represented the appellants before the High Court.
The case pertains to the death of Judge Uttam Anand, who was fatally hit by an autorickshaw while on a morning walk in Dhanbad on July 28, 2021. He sustained severe injuries and later died.
The incident, captured on CCTV cameras, triggered nationwide outrage and raised serious concerns about the safety of judicial officers.
Given the gravity of the matter, the investigation was subsequently handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).
Following a detailed trial, the CBI Special Court on July 28, 2022, convicted autorickshaw driver Lakhan Verma and his associate Rahul Verma of murder. On August 6, 2022, the court sentenced both men to life imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on each.
The special court observed that the convicts should remain incarcerated for the remainder of their natural lives.
The accused were tried under Sections 302 (murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), and 34 (common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.
With the High Court now dismissing their appeals, the sentence awarded by the trial court will remain in force.
(IANS)
