10 yrs later, justice delivered: 3 get life term in Budaun murder case
After years of trial, the court found Avnesh, Dharmendra, and Thakur guilty of murder. Rafat Singh, the fourth accused, died during the trial, and proceedings against him were closed, the additional district government counsel informed.
A decade after a village youth was gunned down near his home, a local court in Budaun sentenced three men to life imprisonment on Saturday and imposed a fine of ₹1 lakh on each. The verdict was delivered by Additional Sessions Judge Farah Matloob, bringing closure to a case that had remained under trial since 2015.
The incident occurred on May 27, 2014, in Shekhupura village under the Bisauli police station limits. Shivraj alias Sookhe was shot dead near his house by four men from the same village, reportedly over a long-standing land feud. A day later, Shivraj’s elder brother, Kunwarpal, lodged an FIR naming Avnesh, Dharmendra, Thakur, and Rafat Singh as the accused, additional district government counsel Sanjeev Gupta informed.
In his complaint, Kunwarpal stated that Shivraj was standing at the doorstep after dinner when the accused arrived armed with country-made pistols. The group allegedly hurled abuses at Shivraj, and when he objected, one of the accused, Rafat Singh, allegedly provoked the others saying, “He dares to speak in front of us — kill him.” Following this, Dharmendra reportedly opened fire, killing Shivraj on the spot.
Eyewitnesses and villagers tried to catch the attackers, but the accused managed to flee, firing into the air to create panic. The case was investigated by sub-inspector Satish Yadav, and a chargesheet was filed in court the following year.
After years of trial, the court found Avnesh, Dharmendra, and Thakur guilty of murder. Rafat Singh, the fourth accused, died during the trial, and proceedings against him were closed, the additional district government counsel informed.