Ballia (UP), February 21 A court in Ballia on Saturday sentenced four individuals to life imprisonment in a murder case that dates back 21 years, related to a rivalry, police said.
The prosecution stated that on November 3, 2004, around 11 pm, Lallan Pandey and his son Jitendra Kumar Pandey from Balihar village were on their way to a Sahastra Chandi Yagya at the Baba Dham temple in Shubhnathi village when they were attacked. The motive behind the attack stemmed from an ongoing rivalry.
Lallan was shot with a locally made pistol, resulting in his death, while Rakesh Mishra, who was returning home after attending the yagya, sustained serious injuries while attempting to save Lallan.
Based on a complaint filed by Jitendra Kumar Pandey, a case was registered against Dharmendra Paswan, Omprakash Yadav, Rajesh Yadav, and Brijesh Yadav from Jagdeva Dhahi village. They were charged under Sections 302 (punishment for murder), 307 (attempt to murder), and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of the peace) of the Indian Penal Code.
After a thorough investigation, the police submitted a charge sheet against all four accused in court.
Superintendent of Police Omvir Singh said that Additional District and Sessions Judge, Ballia Gyan Prakash Tiwari, on Saturday held the four accused guilty, sentencing them to life imprisonment and imposing a fine of Rs 11,000 on each.