Abolish Death Penalty India: Uttar Pradesh - Court awards death sentence to five in doctor murder case

Monday, December 22, 2025

Uttar Pradesh - Court awards death sentence to five in doctor murder case

Former maid among convicts; two accused acquitted for lack of evidence

Kurukshetra, Updated At : 02:45 AM Dec 22, 2025 IST

A Kurukshetra court has awarded the death penalty to five persons for the murder of Dr Vanita Arora and dacoity at her residence in 2023. The judgment was pronounced by the court of the Additional District and Sessions Judge (Fast Track Special Court), which sentenced Manish Kumar of Uttar Pradesh; Vikramjeet alias Bittu and Vikram alias Vicky of Kaithal; Poonam of Kurukshetra; and Sunil Kumar of Hisar to death by hanging.

Kurukshetra doctor murder case: House help, her lover among five accused sentenced to death
Source: PTC News

The convicts were held guilty of offences punishable under Sections 120B, 323, 395, 396, 397, 302, 460 and 201 of the IPC, along with provisions of the Arms Act. The court ordered that the death sentence shall not be executed until confirmed by the High Court, as mandated under Section 407 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS). All sentences will run concurrently. Meanwhile, the court acquitted the doctor’s servant, Ketram, and alleged arms supplier Umesh Kumar, citing lack of sufficient evidence against them.

Dr Vanita Arora (60) was murdered on the night of January 9, 2023, when four men entered her house in Kurukshetra to commit robbery. She and her husband, Dr Atul Arora (62), ran a clinic from their residence. In his complaint to the police, Dr Atul stated that the clinic operated on the ground floor, while the family lived on the first floor. Around 9.20 pm, as he was sitting with his parents, he heard his wife scream. When he rushed out, two of the accused allegedly put a pistol to his head and demanded cash and jewellery.

Dr Atul told the police that he handed over Rs 1 lakh to the assailants. He was allegedly beaten for nearly 15 minutes as the accused demanded more money and the keys to lockers. When Dr Vanita resisted, she was struck on the head, causing fatal injuries. Dr Atul managed to escape by jumping from the first floor and sought help from neighbours while also calling the police. When he returned, he found his wife lying dead. The accused fled with cash and jewellery.

According to the prosecution, the accused had gained entry into the house on the pretext of buying a cake, as Dr Vanita also ran a bakery from the premises. A case was registered at City Thanesar police station. The family had raised suspicion against a former maid, Poonam, and her associate Vikram. During the investigation, the police arrested Vikram, Vikramjeet, Sunil Kumar, Manish Kumar, Poonam, Ketram and Umesh Kumar. District Deputy Attorney Rajkumar said the court awarded the death penalty to five accused in the murder case, while two others were acquitted due to insufficient evidence.

Source: https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/haryana/court-awards-death-sentence-to-five-in-doctor-murder-case/

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The Death Penalty Scenario in India

India is one of 193 countries that retains the death penalty. Some judges have delivered landmark verdicts upholding the rights of death row prisoners, while debates continue advocating abolition or reform of sentencing policies. The Indian government remains committed to retention, asserting executions occur only in “rarest of rare” cases. The death penalty applies to crimes including murder, kidnapping, terrorism, desertion, inducement to suicide of a minor or mentally-retarded person, and in certain cases of rape. Outrage over child rape and murder has intensified these discussions. After an unofficial eight-year moratorium, the government executed Ajmal Kasab (Mumbai attacks) in 2012 and Afzal Guru (Parliament attack) in 2013, both covertly and immediately after mercy petitions were rejected. Prior to this, Dhananjoy Chatterjee was executed in 2004 after 13 years on death row. Following these, many mercy petitions have been rejected, creating fear among death row convicts. Courts continue to hand down death sentences at an increasing rate. Empirical studies highlight the plight of death row prisoners. The India Exclusion Report 2017-18 found fair trial rights largely denied, with convicts often marginalized by caste, religion, poverty, and education. The Death Penalty Research Project (2015) documented socio-economic profiles and experiences of death row prisoners. Dr. Reena Mary George’s studies (2014, 2009) emphasized poverty, social exclusion, and dignity as central to death row experiences, and examined the human rights impact of the penalty. According to the National Crime Records Bureau 2015, 101 prisoners were on death row, with many sentences commuted to life. The “rarest of rare” doctrine introduced by the Supreme Court in the 1980s has not substantially limited death sentences, which have increased over the decades. Justice Joseph (2018) reaffirmed the Bachan Singh judgment but urged restriction of the death penalty to only those cases meeting its criteria. While updating the blog and conducting my own empirical studies, I observed the heinous nature of the crimes that were committed and thought about the families, about their loss, about the victims who for no fault of their own died. If I lost my relative or a dear friend, would I still oppose death penalty and would I still advocate to abolish the death sentence? Having worked in the criminal justice system and also having the seen the other side, where often it is the marginalized, vulnerable and oppressed who are on death row makes me want to advocate for abolition of this punishment. Victims should definitely get justice for their loss, for their pain. No one should escape the rule of law. As long as humanity exists; crime will exist. Should we not re-consider our sentencing policies? Reena Mary George