Agra court awards death to man, 2 sons for killing bahu, ‘lover’ in 2022

Agra: A court here on Wednesday awarded death penalty to a man and his two sons for the murder of their daughter-in-law and her companion in 2022 in Etmad-ud-Daula area of the city. The court held the crime to be among "rarest of rare" cases, warranting maximum punishment.Additional district judge Amarjeet convicted Madan Singh Sisodia (55) and his sons Gaurav (36) and Abhishek (34), ordering that they be "hanged by the neck until death." The court also imposed a fine of ₹1 lakh on each convict and granted them 30 days to file an appeal. Madan Singh's wife, Neelam, was acquitted due to lack of evidence.ADGC Mohit Pal said the crime happened on May 27, 2022, afternoon, when Gaurav, assisted by his father and brother, attacked his wife, Pooja, and her friend Shivan with sticks and sharp-edged weapons. Gaurav continued to hit the victims with sticks even after they died, said Pal, adding all the accused were arrested within hours of the incident.An FIR was registered under IPC sections 498A (domestic violence), 302 (murder), 120B (criminal conspiracy) and sections of Dowry Prohibition Act at Etmadaullah police station. Police filed the chargesheet in Aug 2022.In their defence, the accused claimed the victims killed each other following a dispute, a contention rejected by the prosecution.Pal said Pooja and Gaurav married in 2015, but their relationship deteriorated over alleged dowry demand. Gaurav suspected Pooja of having an affair with her distant relative Shivam. Both families were engaged in the silver anklet business.