Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 6: After an eight-year-long trial, the Principal Sessions Judge Udhampur, Virinder Singh Bhou, on Saturday sentenced truck driver Mohd Maqbool Dar, son of Abdul Ahad Dar, resident of Cherakoot, Lolab (Kupwara) and truck owner Riaz Ahmed Malik, son of Fateh Mohd Malik, resident of Kehnusa, Aloosa (Bandipora), to rigorous life imprisonment for the murder of traffic constable Sanjeev Kumar at Jakheni Naka in 2017.
On the night of January 14, 2017, the truck (JK09A-5301), loaded with vegetables, was stopped at Jakheni as the movement of heavy vehicles on the Jammu-Srinagar Highway had been suspended. The driver Maqbool Dar, after heated arguments with naka police, suddenly started the vehicle, rammed through the barricade, and crushed cop Sanjeev Kumar, killing him instantly. Both the accused fled but were later intercepted at Samroli.
The case was prosecuted by Himanshu Parkash and Vinay Sharma, Public Prosecutors for the UT, while Rakesh Sharma and Shallini Sharma appeared for the defense.
The Court observed that the “stubborn attitude, angry behavior and adamancy of the accused persons led to an unsavory and ghastly act” but clarified that the case did not fall under the “rarest of rare” category warranting a death penalty.
Both convicts were ordered to undergo life imprisonment under Section 302 RPC and pay a fine of Rs 10,000 each, with six months’ simple imprisonment in default. The period already spent in custody will be set off against the sentence.
The Court further directed that the fine be paid to the legal heirs of the deceased constable and recommended that the State Legal Services Authority, J&K, provide statutory compensation under the Victim Compensation Scheme. The sentence awaits confirmation from the High Court of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
Follow our WhatsApp channel
