Jaipur: In a major judgment, a Rajasthan court has sentenced seven members of the same family to life imprisonment in the 2014 Bhanwarnath murder case from Bamblu village.
The Additional District and Sessions Judge also imposed a fine of Rs 22,000 on each convict. Failure to pay will attract an additional six months’ imprisonment, said the order on Monday.
The case dates back to May 27, 2014, when Jamsar resident Annanath reported that his brother, Bhanwarnath, was attacked while on his way to his uncle’s house.
According to the FIR, the accused — Mohannath, Hemnath, Dhannanath, Shankarnath, Badhu Devi, Sita, and Saroj — blocked his path with a pickup truck and assaulted him. During the scuffle, the vehicle rammed into a wall and was abandoned as the attackers fled. Bhanwarnath was rushed to PBM Hospital, where he was declared dead. Police filed the charge sheet in August 2014. The prosecution presented blood-stained clothes, a stick, medical reports, the FSL report, and sealed material evidence, all of which supported the case.
The court observed that the assault was a gang-related, pre-planned attack with clear intent to kill.
All seven accused were convicted under Sections 302 and 149 of the IPC and also awarded one year of rigorous imprisonment under Section 147.
According to the investigation, the murder stemmed from a land dispute. Bhanwarnath had purchased a plot from Durganath, which the accused family claimed they also had rights over. As the dispute escalated, it resulted in a violent confrontation.
The post-mortem revealed 30 to 40 injury marks on the victim.
Those convicted include three brothers — Mohannath, Hemnath, and Dhannanath — along with Hemnath’s son Shankarnath, his wife Badhu Devi, and daughter Saroj.
Additional Public Prosecutor Basant Kumar Mohta presented 14 witnesses and 34 documents, which the court deemed credible in establishing guilt.
Advocate O.P. Harsh represented the plaintiff. The verdict comes after 11 years of continuous hearings, bringing closure to the prolonged case.
(IANS)
