Chandigarh resident held guilty of murder over business rivalry

The district court of Chandigarh has convicted a Chandigarh resident for the murder of a shopkeeper over a business rivalry.

The convict is identified as Jai Kishan, 30, a resident of Bapu Dham Colony, Sector 26, Chandigarh.

On July 27, 2022, Simranjeet Kaur, wife of deceased Avtar Singh stated that she was running a cosmetics and tops shop at Bapu Dham Colony, which has been taken on rent for the past six months.

Jai Kishan also runs a toy shop next to hers and due to which there used to be business rivalry and Kishan had been fighting with Avtar.

The woman stated that on the day of the crime, Jai Kishan had threatened her husband to vacate the shop, else he would set the shop on fire. When Avtar tried to stop him from using such language, “Accused took out a knife from his pocket and stabbed her husband. When she tried to rescue her husband he also stabbed her,” she said in the police statement. People gathered and they were rushed to the hospital. On the basis of Kaur’s statement, FIR was registered under Section 307 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against the accused.

However, during investigation, Avtar Singh succumbed to the injuries and Section 302 of the IPC was added later in the FIR.

The defence counsel argued that his client was innocent and that there were several discrepancies in the statements of the prosecution witnesses.

The court of Jaibir Singh, additional sessions court observed: “Every link in the chain of prosecution events is complete in such a manner that there is no escape for the accused from it…. this Court does not feel any hitch to hold the accused guilty for commission of offences punishable under Sections 302 and 307 of the IPC and he is accordingly, convicted thereunder.”

The case is now listed on October 17 for quantum of sentence.