City court sentences 5 men to life in prison in 2017 murder case

Jaipur: A city court sentenced five men to life imprisonment for the murder of Gaurav alias Goldy, who was gunned down outside Mahatma Gandhi hospital on Aug 4, 2017. The verdict was delivered Tuesday by the Additional District Judge No 11 who found all five accused guilty after a trial based on forensic and ballistic evidence.According to Vipul Sharma, the counsel for the complainant in the case, the murder took place following a confrontation that erupted from an earlier dispute in which Gaurav, accompanied by Narayan Swami and a man named Deepak, went to meet the group to resolve the matter. During the altercation, Kulvendra alias Kullu shot Gaurav twice with an illegal pistol. After Gaurav collapsed, Deepak was also physically assaulted. Witnesses said one of the assailants shouted orders to kill Gaurav, who was later rushed to hospital but declared dead on arrival.A case was registered at Sanganer Sadar police station and a charge sheet was filed against Kulvendra, Sunil alias Lovely, Pachveer alias Pajji, Jitendra alias Tiger, and Pritam Lalwani under IPC sections 302, 147, 149, 120B, and provisions of the Arms Act.The court found Kulvendra fired the fatal shots and convicted him under section 302 of IPC for murder. The other four were held guilty under sections 302 read with 148 and 149 of IPC for being part of an unlawful assembly that led to the murder. The court held them accountable for abetting the crime.Complainant's counsel Vipul Sharma said the court's decision was based on strong forensic and ballistic evidence and that the ruling upheld the legal principle that participation in an unlawful assembly with a common objective is sufficient for conviction, even if the individual did not personally commit the act of violence.Kulvendra was also previously sentenced to life imprisonment in another case involving the murder of a prisoner inside Central Jail Ghatgate while he was in judicial custody.