Fatehabad court convicts man, acquits 3 others in murder case

Hisar: A sessions court in Fatehabad has convicted one Prem Singh in a 2022 murder case arising out of a dispute over opening a village ‘chaupal' (public space), while acquitting three co-accused — Naresh alias Michi, Paramjeet and Paramveer alias Karambir — giving them the benefit of doubt.The case was registered on the complaint of resident of Dangra village Manoj Kumar, who alleged that his uncle Shishpal was assaulted during a quarrel on Jan 12, 2022According to district attorney Devender Kumar Mittal, the incident occurred when the accused allegedly demanded that the lock of the village public space be opened so that they could play cards. When Shishpal and others refused, a heated argument broke out, during which he was assaulted with an iron rod and bricks. He was later taken to a hospital, where he died during treatment.The court relied heavily on medical and forensic evidence, which showed that Shishpal had suffered an internal liver injury that led to haemodynamic shock and cardiorespiratory failure. The doctors testified that the injury was sufficient to cause death in the ordinary course of nature. Rejecting the defence argument that the death was due to a heart attack, the court observed that while the deceased might have had a history of heart disease, there was no medical evidence linking it to the cause of death in this case. Instead, contemporaneous medical records consistently mentioned a history of assault. The testimony of the complainant and another witness present at the scene was found credible and consistent with medical findings. The court noted that minor discrepancies like whether the weapon was described as a rod or pipe, did not weaken the core prosecution case. Recovery of an iron pipe at the instance of the main accused further strengthened the prosecution's case, with medical opinion supporting the possibility of injuries being caused by such a weapon. Holding that the prosecution proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, the court of additional district and sessions judge Tarun Singal concluded that the fatal injuries were inflicted during the assault linked to the said dispute. The role of the primary accused was established through eyewitness and medical evidence, while benefit of doubt was extended to the other accused due to lack of specific attribution.Pronouncing judgment after nearly four years of trial, the courtheld that the death of Shishpal was homicidal and caused by injuries inflicted during the altercation.