Lucknow: A Hardoi court has sentenced three brothers to life imprisonment for murdering their sister-in-law over a dispute involving Rs 1,000 nearly a decade ago.
Additional district judge Kusum Lata convicted Pappu (44), Neeraj (45) and Chhotu alias Dheeraj (30) under Section 302 (murder) of the IPC and sentenced them to life imprisonment. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 13,000 on each convict. The case dates back to Nov 2, 2016, when Reshma (45) was beaten to death with sticks and wooden clubs in Mandalahiya village under Kachhauna police station limits in Hardoi. When Shriram sought 10 more days to return the money, an argument broke out. Police arrested the accused on Nov 3, 2016, and filed a chargesheet later that month.
Hearing the commotion, Reshma came out of the house, following which the accused allegedly assaulted her with sticks and wooden clubs. She sustained grievous injuries and died on the spot.
Trial Developments and Challenges
During the ongoing trial, it was revealed that one of the accused is a juvenile, resulting in a separation of his case from the others. In a significant turn of events, Rampal, the father-in-law of the deceased, passed away while the trial was still in progress. The prosecution encountered a major setback when Shriram, the complainant and husband of the deceased, turned hostile, retracting his earlier statements made in court.