3, including woman, get two concurrent life terms

Lucknow: A local court in Ambedkar Nagar on Monday handed two concurrent life terms to three persons, including a woman, for the murder of a Dalit youth in 2018.
Special Judge ST/SC Act, Ambedkar Nagar, Ram Vilas Singh, found all three— Vinita Maurya (28), her husband Pankaj Maurya (33), and Ravi Maurya (26) — guilty under Section 302 of the IPC and Section 3(2)(v) of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The court sentenced each of the convicts to two concurrent life terms — one under Section 302 IPC and another under Section 3(2)(v) of the SC/ST Act. Each convict was also fined Rs 10,000 under both charges. In case of default, they would undergo an additional three months' imprisonment for each fine.
Special public prosecution Sudip Mishra said the case related to the killing of one Akhilesh Kumar of Katyan Ganjan village of Ambedkar Nagar.
According to the prosecution, Akhilesh was in an illicit relationship with a married woman Vinita.
"On June 4, 2018, Vinita called him to a field near the village where her husband Pankaj and brother-in-law Ravi were lying in wait. They then strangled Akhilesh to death using a gamchha (a traditional cotton towel). His body was found in a field," said Mishra.
Police registered a case under IPC Section 302 and relevant provisions of the SC/ST Act and began an investigation. During the probe, officers recovered critical evidence from the scene — including a pair of sandals, three used condoms, and the murder weapon — a gamchha. Akhilesh's wallet, Aadhaar card, voter ID, broken mobile phone, and motorcycle were also recovered from the accused, said Mishra. Mishra said the postmortem report confirmed death by strangulation.
"The prosecution produced multiple witnesses, including the victim's father and police officers who testified to the chain of events and material evidence collected. A forensic site map was also submitted," said Mishra.
He added that the court noted that the crime was a premeditated act, driven by caste-based hatred and personal vendetta.