Thursday, February 7, 2019

In a first since independence in Manipur, court awards death penalty to man for murder

Written by Jimmy Leivon |Imphal |Updated: February 6, 2019 1:45:05 am

The police report mentions that Rohit hit the girl with a wooden stump and strangulated her with a rope while Farish muffled the victim's mouth.

Rohit was convicted under section 302 and 201 IPC, while Shah was awarded life imprisonment and Rehana and Farjina were given three years and six months simple imprisonment respectively. (Express photo)
Terming it as one of the “rarest of rare” cases, a sessions court in Manipur’s Senapati district on Tuesday awarded death penalty to a man convicted of murder. This is the second death sentence awarded in the state since Independence and a first to a person charged with murder. Sessions Judge A Noutuneshwari convicted Yumkhaibam Rohit alias Rajesh, 29, for murdering his girlfriend. The court also directed Manipur State Legal Services Authority to give the victim’s father Rs 10 lakh as compensation within 60 days.

“In my considered view, maximum punishment should be awarded and it should be an eye opener for the society at large in order to prevent such brutal and heinous crime in our society,” the judge said. The three other convicts in the case are Y Md Farish Shah, Rehena and Farjina. Rohit was convicted under Section 302 and 201 of IPC, while Shah was awarded life imprisonment and Rehana and Farjina were given three years and six months simple imprisonment respectively.

“As the crime committed by the convicts are so inhumane, barbaric and merciless and their intention and motive were beyond the thoughts of a rational human being, such cruelty deserves to be wiped out and there is no mitigating factor to deter in other alternative punishment,” the judge said. The incident took place on August 14, 2018, at Kshertrigao Thambalkhong Makha Leikai, in Imphal East district at Farish’s residence. As per police investigation, the girl befriended Rohit on Facebook in February 2018 following which they started meeting frequently and entered into a physical relationship.

However, on August 14, the couple had an argument after the girl pressured Rohit to elope. The police report mentions that Rohit then hit the girl with a wooden stump and strangulated her with a rope while Farish muffled the victim’s mouth. Rohit also smashed the girl’s head and face with a stone several times before fleeing with her ornaments. The police completed its investigation within a month and submitted the charge sheet against the convicts on January 15. The trial was completed in a record 20 days after the court examined and recorded the statement of 28 prosecution witnesses. Noutuneshwari, who is also a special judge of POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) in Senapati, on July 31, 2018, had awarded death sentence to a 21-year-old who was convicted for rape and murder of a four-year-old girl in 2015.

Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/north-east-india/manipur/first-since-independence-manipur-court-awards-death-penalty-to-man-for-murder-5570769/ (accessed 07 February 2019). 

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