Hatadihi: A court in Anandapur of Keonjhar district Thursday sentenced a 68-year-old woman to life imprisonment and slapped a penalty of Rs10,000 after convicting her for the murder of her friend.

The convict was identified as Sara Naik of Mathadahi village under Soso police limits in Keonjhar district.

The Additional District and Sessions Judge Prajyoti Rout delivered the verdict after reviewing the witnesses’ testimonies and evidence.

In default, she has to undergo an additional year in prison. The case dates back to June 25, 2022, when Sara bludgeoned her friend, Jashoda Patra, with stones.

Patra’s daughter, Shantilata, found her in critical condition near Podasingidi village and rushed her to Anandapur Sub-Divisional Hospital, where doctors pronounced her dead. Following a complaint filed by Shantilata, officials at Soso police station registered a case (110/2022) and arrested Naik the next day.

Out of 20 witnesses presented in court, 15 testified against the accused, leading to her conviction. Defence lawyer Subash Bishwal stated that the court handed down the life sentence based on the evidence presented.

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Berhampur: A court in Odisha’s Ganjam district Monday sentenced a 34-year-old man to life imprisonment for killing her girlfriend and looting her gold and silver ornaments approximately valued at Rs 2 lakh last year.

The district and sessions judge Rupashree Choudhury also slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 on the convict, Mithun Bisoi, a resident of Sindurpur.

August 3 last year, Bisoi used a stone to kill his girlfriend, 26-year-old Sangeeta Pradhan who was deserted by her husband. He then fled with her gold and silver ornaments and dumped the body near Taptapani.

The police recovered the body after a few days and arrested Bisoi August 8, based on the complaint of the father of the deceased.

The gold and silver ornaments worth over Rs 2 lakh were recovered from Dharampur near his village, where the convict had buried them.

PTI

Jharsuguda: The Additional District & Sessions Court in Jharsuguda Friday sentenced Prabin Dhurua, a resident of Sirisguda Kuanrmal under Laikera police limits, to life imprisonment for the murder of former vice chancellor of Sambalpur University (SU) Dhrubaraj Naik.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs10,000 on Dhurua. The judge pronounced the verdict after examining the testimony of 22 witnesses and 32 documents presented during the trial.

Public Prosecutor Gangadhar Garnayak confirmed the verdict, stating, “The Additional District & Sessions Court today convicted and sentenced Prabin Kumar Dhurua, 24, of Sirisguda Kuanrmal under Laikera police limits to life imprisonment, along with a fine of Rs10,000, in the murder case of former Sambalpur University vice-chancellor, Dhrubaraj Naik.”

Also Read: Youth gets 20-yr RI for kidnapping, raping minor girl

Garnayak further explained that Dhurua had attacked Naik with an axe outside the latter’s residence June 27, 2021, leading to his death. The prosecution presented the axe used in the crime, along with statements from witnesses and other documents, as evidence in the case.

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Cuttack: The Orissa High Court Wednesday commuted the death sentence of nine persons convicted for killing three members of a family on suspicion of practising witchcraft in Rayagada district in 2016. A division bench of justices Sangam Kumar Sahoo and Radha Krishna Pattanaik also ordered the state government to pay Rs 30 lakh as assistance to the victims’ kin under Odisha Victim Compensation Scheme 2018 within four weeks. The convicts were identified as Degunu Sabara, Dasuntu Sabara, Ajanta Sabara, Podantu Sabara, Dalasa Sabara, Malaku Sabara, Bubuna Sabara, Lakia Sabara and Iru Sabara, while the victims Asina Sabara, his wife Amabaya, and their daughter Asamani.

Also Read: Bizman robbed of Rs 15L

According to the case details, the convicts forcibly dragged the trio out of their house in Kitum village under Putasingh police limits in Rayagada district and took them to a nearby cowshed where they brutally assaulted the three September 9, 2016 on suspicion of practising witchcraft.

As a result of the assault the three died. They then burnt the bodies to obliterate evidence. The Rayagada District and Sessions Court had pronounced death sentence to the nine. However, the convicts moved the HC challenging the lower court order.

Palghar: A court in Maharashtra’s Palghar district has sentenced a man to life imprisonment for raping a 40-year-old mentally challenged woman in 2021.

Additional Sessions Judge AV Choudhari-Inamdar, in her order Tuesday, held that the prosecution has successfully proved all the charges against the 45-year-old accused, Dashrath Maruti Sutar, a resident of Kev in Vikramgad area of the district.

Additional Public Prosecutor Arun Masram told the court that the victim was sleeping in her house in Manor area and her mother had gone out for work when the accused came there in December 2021 (date not specified).

The man threatened the woman and then raped and gagged her. He also warned her of dire consequences if she informed about the offence to anyone.

The woman was found pregnant in April 2022. Following a complaint by her mother, the Manor police registered an FIR on various charges, including rape, and arrested the accused.

Later, during a test, the DNA of the victim’s foetus matched with that of the accused and this evidence was accepted by the court, the prosecutor said.

Along with the life sentence, the court also imposed a fine of Rs 11,000 on the accused and directed it to be paid to the victim as compensation, Masram said.

The court also directed for the case to be referred to the district legal services authority (DLSA) for additional compensation to the victim.

Investigation officer Rizwana Kakeri told reporters that the police found it very difficult to record the statement of the victim as she was mentally challenged.

The police used signed language and sought the help of the victim’s mother to record the statement, she said.

As many as eight prosecution witnesses, including relatives of the victim, were examined in the court to prove the case beyond any reasonable doubt, the inspector added.

PTI

Bhawanipatna: A court in Odisha’s Kalahandi district sentenced six people to life imprisonment for raping a woman five years ago.

Dharamgarh Additional District and Session Judge Suresh Chandra Pradhan pronounced the verdict Wednesday after examining witnesses and evidence, said public prosecutor Purna Chandra Nag.

The convicted persons are Lalindra Sabar, Labanya Chatria, Anirudha Chatria, Prakash Naik, Santa Naik and Amit Naik.

Three other accused, who had allegedly made a video of the crime viral on social media, were released due to lack of evidence, he said.

According to the public prosecutor, the victim was going home from Bhawanipatna town in September 2019, and at that time, Lalindra Sabar, who was known to the woman, offered her a lift on his motorcycle.

On the way to her residence, the man along with his associates raped the woman in a roadside forest, he said.

They also videographed the crime, and the video clip was made viral on social media, the public prosecutor said.

Later, the Junagarh police registered a case on the basis of a complaint lodged by the parents of the woman and arrested the culprits, he added.

PTI

Berhampur: A court in Ganjam district Thursday sentenced 11 people to life imprisonment for killing a 31-year-old history-sheeter in Gosaninuagaon area about 11 years ago. The District and Sessions Court Judge, Rupashree Choudhury, awarded life imprisonment to the accused persons involved in the muchhyped Shanti Mishra murder case which took place January 29, 2013, after examining the recorded statements of 26 witnesses, police chargesheet and relevant documents, Public Prosecutor Trilochan Parida said. The convicts were identifi ed as Rakesh Panda alias Manga, Hariom Behera alias Tukuna alias Gopabandhu, Santosh Kumar Sahu alias Daktar, Mrutyunjaya Sabat, Santosh Panigrahi alias Ichili and alias Bulu, Budu Das, Ganesh Panigrahi alias Tilu, Sheikh Zafi r alias Sarif, Babaji Rana, Shankarshan Padhi alias Ami and Shankar Behera. They were produced in the court under tight security before the judgement was pronounced Thursday. Public prosecutor Trilochan Parida pleaded the matter on behalf of the state government.

The court slapped a penalty of Rs 10,000 on each of the convicts apart from the punishment, Parida said. In default, they have to undergo an additional year of imprisonment, he added. Another accused Ranjit Panigrahi alias Babu died during hearing of the case while the judge issued a non-bailable warrant against Mouja Mishra who failed to appear in the court during hearing of the case. The motive of the murder was previous enmity, police said. Mishra was involved in at least 22 cases. While at least a dozen people were directly involved in the incident, others hatched a conspiracy to fi nish him, police said. At least 13 people were implicated in Mishra’s murder case. According to the case diary, the victim Shanti Prasad Mishra was a noted history-sheeter and was out on bail from jail. The incident occurred when Mishra was returning home on his bike after appearing in Goshaninuagaon police station, January 29, 2013. He had reached near the Gundicha temple in Goshaninuagaon when around a dozen people came on six motorcycles and attacked him. He was trying to fl ee when they followed and assaulted him with swords. He jumped into a pond to save himself but the assailants hurled a bomb to terrify the locals.

Also Read: Widow alleges rape by panchayat official

Later, they surrounded Mishra from all sides and hacked him inside the pond and fl ed. Police reached the spot and rushed him to the MKCG Medical College and Hospital where doctors pronounced him dead. Police registered a case over a complaint lodged by Anil Nayak and arrested the accused persons in phases. The accused were produced in the court and remanded to judicial custody before delivery of the order, Thursday.

Berhampur: The District and Sessions Court-I here Tuesday sentenced a man to life imprisonment after convicting him of murdering his wife two years ago. District judge-I Indu Sharma also slapped a penalty of Rs 11,000 on the convict while ordering an additional nine months of rigorous imprisonment (RI) in case of non-payment of penalty, said additional public prosecutor Soubhagya Kumar Mishra.

According to the case diary, the convict identified as Hiranya Sethi, 47, a resident of Chaitanyapur had tied nuptial knot with Jhunu Sethi of Padmanabhapur village under Digapahandi police limits a few years ago and was also blessed with two daughters.

However, their conjugal life went through rough weather even as Jhunu complained that Hiranya had been torturing her, both physically and mentally. Rajendra Sethi, the brother of the deceased, had lodged a written complaint at Digapahandi police station alleging that Hiranya had killed his sister (Jhunu) by slitting her throat February 8, 2022. Acting on the complaint, a case (96/22) was registered with Digapahandi police who arrested Hiranya and sent him to court. Balabhadra Ganda, the then IIC of Digapahandi police station and the investigating officer of the case had submitted the chargesheet in the court. The judge pronounced the verdict after examining 17 witnesses and going through the police chargesheet. The convict who was lodged at Berhampur circle jail since his arrest was produced before the judge during the hearing.

Balasore: A court in Balasore district Thursday sentenced a man to life imprisonment for strangling his four-month-old son to death “as he did not want a child”. The judgement was pronounced by Odisha Protection of Interests of Depositors (OPID) Special Judge, Balasore, Biswajit Das after hearing the criminal case of abduction and murder.

According to the prosecution, the complainant, Gory Baskey (35), the mother of the deceased child, said that her second husband, Dularam Baskey (37), strangled their four-month-old son as he did not want a child. The boy, who was born in October 2022, was missing from their home in Panisili village in Khaira police station area in Balasore January 14, 2023.

She said when asked about the child, Dularam had said that he had left the child in an Ashram school. However, his body was found in a nearby agricultural field January 19 in a highly decomposed state, following which the woman lodged the FIR accusing her husband of murdering their child when she was out of home. Gory had married Dularam after the death of her first husband and Dularam’s elder brother. “The court also imposed a penalty of Rs 5,000 on the convict and default in its payment would attract two additional months in prison,” Special Public Prosecutor Pranab Kumar Panda said. The accused was convicted of murder after the court examined 12 witnesses and 15 exhibits, he added.

Aska: A local court sentenced three members of a family to life imprisonment after convicting them for the 2011-murder of a youth at Purunabori village under Gangpur police limits in Ganjam district, Thursday. The convicted persons were identified as Khadal Pradhan, 79, his son Babu Pradhan, 35, and daughter Tiki Pradhan, 39. They were convicted for murdering a youth Bulu Bisoyi, 35, with sharp-edged weapons along with two other undertrials over past enmity in 2011. The court also slapped a penalty of Rs 10,000 each, apart from the punishment.

In default, the three have to undergo an additional four months of rigorous imprisonment. Additional District and Sessions Judge Prabir Kumar Choudhury at Aska pronounced the judgement on three out of five accused in the case while the trial of rest of the two accused Sugriba Pradhan and Gopi Swain is still underway. The judge pronounced the order after examining the statements recorded by 13 witnesses in the case, Public Prosecutor Surya Prakash Rao said The incident occurred when Bulu was returning from a religious programme at Purunabori village, March 15, 2011. The three convicted persons and their two accomplices were hiding near his house waiting for him to arrive. As Bulu arrived near his house, all five of them attacked him with sharp-edged weapons like sword, billhook and lathis. Bulu sustained critical injuries in the attack and was admitted to the Gobara community health centre. However, doctors pronounced him brought dead.

Jaipur: A POCSO court has sentenced six more men to life imprisonment in the sensational Ajmer sex scandal, in which more than 100 girls were raped and blackmailed.

Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) court judge Ranjan Singh also slapped fines of Rs 5 lakh on each of the accused.

Prosecution counsel Virendra Singh said that Nafees Chishti, Naseem alias Tarzan, Salim Chishti, Iqbal Bhati, Sohail Gani and Sayed Zameer Hussain were convicted of being involved in the crime. Bhati was brought to Ajmer from Delhi in an ambulance.

The Ajmer sex scandal came to light in 1992.

The school and college-going girls aged between 11 and 20 years were victimised by a gang, whose members befriended them and shot their photographs in compromising situations, and later raped them.

There were a total of 18 accused in the case.

Singh said the first charge sheet in the case was filed against 12.

Among them, Naseem alias Tarzan went absconding in 1994, and Jahur Chishti was found guilty under Section 377 (unnatural sex) and his case was transferred to another court.

The trial of Farooq Chishti ran separately after he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and he was given a life term in 2007. One of the accused committed suicide.

The other eight accused were sentenced to life imprisonment in 1998.

He said the second charge sheet was filed against Nafees Chishti, Salim Chishti, Iqbal Bhati, Sohail Gani, Sayed Zameer Hussain, and Almas who is still at large.

The remaining five — Nafees Chishti, Salim Chishti, Iqbal Bhati, Sohail Gani, Sayed Zameer Hussain and another accused Naseem alias Tarzan — named in the first charge sheet and went absconding — were awarded life imprisonment on Tuesday.

The other accused, who were given punishment in the past, have either completed their terms or been acquitted by the courts.

The lawyer said that a separate trial for these six was conducted because the investigation against them was kept pending at the time of the filing of the first charge sheet.

The victims studied in a famous private school in Ajmer. They were called to a farmhouse, where they were raped.

PTI 

Paralakhemundi: A local court Thursday sentenced 14 persons to life imprisonment after convicting them in the murder of a person, and murderous attack on others, over past enmity during Holi festival in 2009. Additional district and sessions judge Pradip Kumar Samal at Paralakhemundi in Gajapati district also slapped a penalty of Rs 10,000 each on the convicted persons. The judge passed the order after examining the statements of all witnesses and the police chargesheet, Public Prosecutor Brundaban Nayak said. Meanwhile, two of the 16 accused arrested in the murder case died during the protracted trial which spanned over a period of 15 years.

The incident occurred March 12, 2009 on the day of Holi festival at Ghasisahi near Paralakhemundi over past enmity. The accused persons broke into the house of Anjali Nagbansh and assaulted her kin Chinababu Nagbansh, Babi Guralu and Siba Nagbansh who were sleeping. They also barged into the adjacent house of Madhu Nagbansh and attacked him and his wife brutally. Later, they were trying to break open the door of Pannada Srinu but fled on noticing the arrival of police which rescued the critically injured persons and admitted them to a hospital. Siba Nagbansh died during treatment.

Bhubaneswar: A local court here Wednesday awarded life imprisonment to a man after holding him guilty of killing a woman under Nayapalli police limits in the City in 2017. Additional Sessions Judge Sasmita Parhi also slapped a penalty of Rs 20,000 on the convict, Dambarudhar Das. Failure to pay the penalty would entail one year of rigorous imprisonment (RI), Additional Public Prosecutor (APP) Pradipta Kumar Mishra said.

According to the prosecution, Dambarudhar was having a one-sided love affair with Puspanjali Mohapatra, a resident of Tarini slum under Nayapalli police limits in the City. “On many occasions, Dambarudhar forced Puspanjali, a mother of two children, to elope with him so as to start a new life. However, she declined,” the APP said. Mishra said the incident took place July 7, 2017. “On fateful day, an infuriated Dambarudhar barged into Puspanjali’s house and found her in the washroom and her children playing nearby. After sending the kids to play in the courtyard, Dambarudhar poured petrol on Puspanjali and set her on fire,” Mishra said, adding that Dambarudhar managed to flee the scene. Soon, Puspanjali was rushed to SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, where she succumbed to burns five days later, Mishra said.

DEBADURLLAV HARICHANDAN, OP

Baripada: A 25-year-old man was sentenced to life imprisonment by a court in Odisha’s Mayurbhanj district Saturday for raping a woman.

The incident happened in the Moroda police station area in March 2021 when the woman, 22, had gone to relieve herself. He dragged the woman, who is married, to behind a bush and raped her, according to the prosecution.

Fast Track Special Court Judge Santosh Kumar Nayak sentenced the man to life imprisonment.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000 on the convict, said Special Public Prosecutor Monoranjan Pattnaik.

The verdict was based on the statements of the survivor and 12 witnesses, besides the medical report.

PTI 

Lahore: A Pakistani court sentenced a Muslim woman to life in prison after finding her guilty of burning pages of Islam’s holy book, a prosecutor said Friday.

Under Pakistan’s blasphemy laws, anyone found guilty of insulting the religion or religious figures can be sentenced up to death. While authorities have yet to carry out a death sentence for blasphemy, just the accusation can provoke riots.

Government prosecutor Mohazib Awais said the woman, Aasiya Bibi, was arrested in 2021 on blasphemy charges after residents claimed she desecrated the Quran by burning its pages. Awais said the judge announced the verdict Wednesday in the eastern city of Lahore. He said Bibi, who has the right to appeal, had denied the charge during her trial.

A Christian woman with the same name was acquitted of blasphemy in 2019 after she spent eight years on death row in Pakistan. She moved to Canada to escape death threats from Islamic extremists upon her release. Wednesday’s case involved a different woman.

Domestic and international human rights groups say blasphemy allegations have often been used to intimidate religious minorities and to settle personal scores.

Earlier in March, another court in Gujranwala, Punjab province, sentenced a 22-year-old student to death and gave a teenager a life sentence in two separate cases after finding them guilty of insulting Islam’s Prophet Muhammad.

Keonjhar: Keonjhar district court’s additional judge, Mamita Dash convicted Tuesday seven people of Sendakap village under Sadar police limits for their involvement in murdering a man under suspicion of practising witchcraft and sentenced them to life imprisonment. The judge also slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 on each of the convicts. In default they all will have to undergo another six months of rigorous imprisonment, the judge said in the order.

The convicts were identified as Rabindra Munda, 36, Narahari Munda, 28, Balabhadra Munda, 40, Baisakhu Munda, 24, Cheema Munda, 25, Tima Munda, 33 and Tura Munda, 30. As per the case diary, the convicts suspected that Dinabandhu Munda, 65, of the same village was practicing witchcraft. They called Dinabandhu to the village Anganwadi centre April 14, 2019 and attacked him with sharp weapons killing him on the spot. The attackers then fled the scene. The daughter-in-law of the deceased, Sunita Munda lodged a written complaint at Sadar police station in this regard.

A case (No-180/2019) under IPC act 302/34 was registered and police after arresting all the accused produced them in court. The judge pronounced the judgement after hearing 13 witnesses and going through the police investigation report, informed additional public prosecutor Prafulla Kumar Patra

Berhampur: A court in Odisha’s Ganjam district sentenced a man to life imprisonment for killing a police officer about 13 years ago.

The District and Sessions Court Judge, Aska PK Choudhury Wednesday sentenced Sushant Behera of Berhampur to life imprisonment and acquitted Sunil Behera, a co-accused in the case due to lack of evidence.

The court has also issued a warrant against Sameer Panda, another accused in the case, as he did not turn up at the court on the day of judgment, said Trilochan Parida, public prosecutor.

The court pronounced the verdict after examining 22 witnesses and verifying some murder-related documents, he said.

According to the prosecution, the accused persons had shot Manoranjan Mishra, the then officer-in-charge of Sheragada police station November 26, 2010, on Hinjili-Sheragada road. Mishra was returning on his motorcycle after conducting patrolling on that night.

The accused persons shot dead Mishra after a heated argument with them. He was rushed to the nearby hospital where doctors declared him dead.

PTI

Balasore: Special Judge OPID and Additional Sessions Judge Biswajit Das sentenced a man to life imprisonment for killing his wife over dowry.

The judge also slapped a fine of Rs 5,000 on the convict. Failure to pay the penalty would result in an additional year in prison, the judge said in the order.

According to the prosecution, the convict Tapas Pradhan from Nuagaon village under Industrial police station had married Sarojini Mohanty from Probadhpur village under Basudevpur police station in Bhadrak.

A few months after marriage, the woman died while undergoing treatment for burn injuries in a private hospital in Bhubaneswar. Her father Purna Chandra Mohanty lodged an FIR with police March 10, 2021 alleging that her daughter was burnt to death by the accused son-in–law Tapas.

In his complaint Purna Chandra alleged that kerosene was poured on his daughter and she was put on fire after which Tapas locked the door from outside. Purna Chandra also mentioned that since his daughter could not fulfil the incessant demands for dowry she was murdered.

The tragic incident took place on the night of February 21, 2021. The neighbours hearing the victim’s screams broke open the door and took her to the hospital. However, she succumbed to her injuries.

“The accused Pradhan was tried under 498(A), 302 of IPC and 4 DP Act. The court after examining 14 witnesses and 20 exhibits sentenced him to life imprisonment along with Rs5,000 fine,” Special Public Prosecutor, Pranab Panda said.

PNN

Balasore: Additional sessions judge Biswajit Das Thursday convicted a mother and stepfather for murdering their 13-year-old minor girl and sentenced them to life imprisonment along with a fine of Rs 5,000. Special Public Prosecutor Pranab Kumar Panda said they will have to undergo an additional jail term of six months if they failed to pay the fine, the court ruled. The convicts are identified as Baby Biwi and her second husband SK Abdul Rahim, residents of Khwajabag, Rezaulla Lane under the Town police station limits of the Balasore district. Baby and Abdul were arrested after Sheikh Qutbuddin, the first husband of accused Baby, in an FIR June 25, 2022, lodged with Town police alleged that his daughter was murdered by her mother.

The deceased who was residing with her mother and stepfather died under suspicious circumstances June 22 last year. The mother of the deceased maintained that she was afflicted with black magic syndromes and succumbed to the evil spirit’s effects. She too performed her last rites. However, she revealed to her close aides that she with the help of her second husband strangled her to death to eliminate her from their life. Sheikh Qutbuddin, her first husband, lodged an FIR after he heard about the conspiracy. The duo confessed to their crime during police interrogation.

Bhawanipatna: A woman and her three sons were sentenced to life imprisonment by the Additional District Judge (ADJ) of Dharmagarh in Kalahandi district for killing a peon posted at Revenue Inspector (RI) office at Atigaon over a land dispute in 2018.

The ADJ has also imposed fines of Rs 50,000 on the convicts. Failing to pay the fine, the minimum jail term of the convicts will be increased by a year.

The convicts are Kuchita Dandsena and her three sons Pita Dandsena, Radhu Dandsena and Jadu Dandsena.

In 2018, the victim, identified as peon Chayakanta Dandasena, was hacked to death by the three men after getting instructions from their mother.

A source said that Kuchita and her sons were trying to build a house on a piece of government land near the RI office. When the peon Dandasena objected to them, he was murdered.

Afterwards, police had registered a murder case and arrested all four of them.

PNN