LUCKNOW: A Bahraich court, which awarded death penalty to main accused Sarfaraz alias Rinku and sentenced nine others to life imprisonment for the murder of a 22-year-old man during the communal violence that erupted over Durga Puja idol, invoked Manusmriti to stress the necessity of a strong punishment as a deterrent.
In his verdict pronounced on Thursday, session judge Pawan Kumar Sharma termed the killing an act of "extreme barbarity" that shook the social order and "tore the fabric of humanity".
The judgment noted the accused not only killed an unarmed young man by riddling his body with bullets, but also subjected him to "demonic torture".
The victim's feet were burnt in such a manner that even his toenails came off, the judge observed. The act created profound unrest and instability in society, the order stated.
Citing a verse from the Manusmriti, the court said in the interest of true justice, punishment must be such that it instils fear in such "beasts" in society and restores public confidence in judicial system.
It's the fear of punishment alone that prevents an individual from deviating from his moral and civic duties. Punishment protects the people and ensures social order is maintained, the order emphasised, quoting the ancient legal code.
Agreeing with the prosecution that the accused had crossed all limits of savagery, the court said: "Humanity cried out in pain because of their actions; the social order collapsed and reached the brink of disintegration. The faith and trust of an entire section of society were murdered."
The court ruled that the accused deserved the maximum punishment for the brutality displayed. The aggravating circumstances overwhelmingly outweighed the mitigating factors, which were negligible, it held.
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When not covering crime, he reads fiction, roams around the dark ...
Read MoreWhen not covering crime, he reads fiction, roams around the dark alleys of the city in the dead of night. An MA (English Litt) from University of Lucknow, Pathikrit loves to speak French, well at least a smattering of it. He did his graduation in French language. A recipient of the Road Safety Fellowship of the United Nations, Pathikrit drives cautiously and advises others to do that too.
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