Divergent views of Jharkhand HC on death sentence of 2 Maoists heard by another bench

Ranchi, Oct 31 (PTI) The divergent views of two judges of Jharkhand High Court deciding a criminal appeal pertaining to confirmation of death sentence of convicts accused of murdering six policemen, including Pakur SP Amarjit Balihar in 2013, was heard by Justice Gautam Kumar Choudhary on Friday.

Justice Choudhary will hear the appeals filed by Pravir Murmu alias Pravir Da and Santan Baskey alias Tala Da, who were sentenced to death by the Dumka Sessions Court on September 26, 2018.

Earlier, a division bench of the Jharkhand High Court had delivered a split verdict while hearing appeals against the death sentence given to two Maoists for the 2013 attack on a police team, in which six personnel, including Pakur SP Amarjit Balihar, were killed. The bench had delivered a detailed 197-page judgment on July 17.

The appeals will now be heard by Justice Choudhary, whose decision is expected to align with either the acquittal view of Justice Mukhopadhyay or the death sentence upheld by Justice Prasad.

Justice Prasad had also ordered the state government to pay Rs 2 crore in compensation to the family of SP Balihar and provide a DSP- or deputy collector-rank job to his children.

Additionally, he directed Rs 50 lakh compensation to the next of kin of the five constables killed alongside Balihar, along with compassionate employment in Class IV posts.

The incident took place on July 2, 2013, when SP Balihar and his team were ambushed by Maoists, who opened fire on two police vehicles.

The attack claimed the lives of SP Balihar and policemen Rajiv Kumar, Sharma, Manoj Hembram, Chandan Kumar Thapa, Ashok Kumar Srivastava, and Santosh Kumar Mandal.

The prosecution had examined 31 witnesses, including the two eyewitnesses, after which the sessions judge, Dumka, ordered a death sentence to the two convicts. PTI CORR NAM MNB