Bhubaneswar: A 35-year-old man was sentenced to rigorous life imprisonment by a Kendrapara court for murdering his neighbour over a land dispute in 2019.
District and Sessions Judge, Kendrapara, convicted Sumant Sekhar Nayak of Badapala village under Marsaghai police station limits for the murder of 54-year-old Kunja Bihari Nayak on June 5, 2019, said public prosecutor Saubhagyabati Alayamani Pattnaik.
Delivering the judgment on Tuesday, the court also imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on the convict. If he fails to pay the fine, he will have to serve an additional year in prison, the public prosecutor added.
The prosecution said the murder was the result of a longstanding land dispute between the two neighbours.
The court acquitted co-accused Suryamani Nayak, the convict’s father, citing insufficient evidence to prove his involvement in the crime.
Pattnaik said the conviction was based on the testimonies of 12 witnesses along with material exhibits and documentary evidence presented during the trial.
