Delhi court convicts man in 2017 murder case

New Delhi, Jan 3 (PTI) A Delhi court has convicted a man for murdering a youth by hitting him with a bamboo stick during a late-night quarrel at the Anand Vihar ISBT in 2017.

Additional Sessions Judge Harvinder Singh convicted the accused, saying the prosecution had established the charges against Shankar Lal beyond a reasonable doubt.

According to the prosecution, an FIR was registered against the accused under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code for causing the death of the victim, Balbir Singh.

It said the incident took place around 1.15 am on November 27, 2017, near an entry gate of ISBT Anand Vihar, where Lal struck Singh on the head with a stick picked up from a temporary barricade following an altercation. The victim collapsed after the first blow and was hit again while lying on the ground.

In an order dated December 23, the court noted that eyewitness testimony established that the accused was apprehended at the spot by members of the public and handed over to the police, while the injured was rushed to a hospital where he was declared brought dead.

Relying on medical and forensic evidence, the judge said the postmortem showed that Singh died due to injuries caused by a blunt force impact on the head, and the injuries were sufficient to cause death in the ordinary course of nature.

The court rejected the defence argument that the victim, who was allegedly intoxicated, suffered fatal injuries due to a fall, observing that the nature and number of injuries ruled out such a possibility.

It also noted that DNA analysis established that the blood found on the bamboo stick and on the jacket worn by the accused matched that of the deceased.

Holding that the prosecution had proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt, the judge convicted the accused.

The judge underlined that the accused intentionally inflicted head injuries with a heavy bamboo stick and even struck a second blow after the victim had fallen.

The matter has been posted for hearing on the quantum of sentence on January 7. PTI MDB MNR RHL