9 awarded life term despite hostile witnesses in 8-year-old murder case

Hisar: In the over eight-year-old Jai Singh alias Dholiya murder case, a Hisar district and sessions court has sentenced nine convicts to life imprisonment. District and sessions judge Alka Malik also imposed fines of Rs 1 lakh each on seven convicts and Rs 1.3 lakh on two others.Despite two key witnesses turning hostile, the court convicted the accused based on strong documentary, medical and forensic evidence. However, two accused — Sher Singh and Amit — were acquitted on benefit of doubt.The incident dates back to Nov 2, 2017, under the city police station limits in Hisar. According to the prosecution, a conspiracy to murder Jai Singh was hatched at the residence of one of the accused, Radhey Shyam. Later that evening around 4.30 pm, the victim was called to a liquor vend near Telyan Pul, where the accused opened fire on him.Jai Singh suffered five bullet wounds and died on the way to hospital.During the trial, complainant Sunil and witness Ratan retracted their earlier statements. However, the testimony of the victim's brother, Dharampal, was found credible by the court. Advocate Manmohan Rai, representing the complainant, said a case does not weaken merely because witnesses turn hostile if other evidence proves the charges.Medical reports and FSL findings confirmed that the bullets recovered matched the weapons seized from the accused. The court observed that the nature and location of injuries clearly established intent to kill. The broad daylight execution of the crime in a crowded area further reflected the accused's criminal intent. MSID:: 130801876 413 |