Sonepur: The Sonepur Additional District and Sessions Judge has sentenced two persons, Pratyush Panda alias Bablu and Ashok Sahu, to life imprisonment for the brutal murder of the Additional District Medical Officer (ADMO) of Subarnapur District headquarters Hospital Dr Durbadala Mishra in 2014.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on each convict. After a thorough investigation, the court delivered its verdict after 11 long years, bringing closure to the case.
The incident occurred on September 21, 2014. On the fateful day, Dr Mishra was brutally murdered by the duo while he was on his way home. The police arrested both accused and seized the weapons used in the crime.
Additional District and Sessions Judge Dilip Kumar Biswal convicted the duo under IPC sections 302 (murder), 201 (causing disappearance of evidence), and 34 (common intention). They were sentenced to life imprisonment (14 years) and a fine of Rs 20,000 under Section 302, three years’ imprisonment and a fine of Rs 5,000 under Section 201 and three years’ rigorous imprisonment under Section 34.
In case of default in paying the fine, the accused will face an additional three years of imprisonment.
The defence counsel, meanwhile, Rajendra Agrawal, plans to appeal the verdict in the High Court, seeking justice for his clients.
According to the case diary, the motive behind the murder was a personal vendetta. Pratyush Panda’s brother, Pradip Panda, had taken his ailing son to Dr. Mishra’s clinic for treatment, where the child unfortunately passed away after an injection. Enraged by the incident, Pratyush Panda planned and executed the murder with Ashok Sahu.
