Bahraich/Lucknow: A Bahraich court on Saturday sentenced a 62-year-old man to life imprisonment in a nearly 27-year-old murder over a family feud in Sikandarpur village under Hardi police station limits. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 1.02 lakh on the convict.Additional district and sessions judge/special judge (Gangsters Act) Sunil Prasad held Angad Shukla (62), also known as Karunesh, guilty of murdering Mahanand Mishra during a dispute linked to a rivalry that, according to the prosecution, had persisted since 1990.According to the prosecution, Rajitram of Sikandarpur lodged a complaint at Hardi police station on Sept 19, 1998, alleging that the accused attacked his brother Mahanand around 2.30 pm the same day. He said that Shukla used an axe-like agricultural tool to assault Mahanand.The prosecution said Mahanand was sitting with his nephew when the attack took place. When his nephew raised an alarm, Rajitram and other villagers rushed to the spot. The complainant said that the witnesses saw the accused attacking Mahanand.The case was investigated by the then Hardi station house officer BR Bauddh. After recording statements of witnesses and collecting evidence, police filed a chargesheet against Shukla on Oct 13, 1998. The trial court framed charges on Sept 17, 1999, after which the matter proceeded through a prolonged trial.On Saturday, after evaluating evidence and hearing both sides, the court convicted Shukla of murder, sentencing him to life imprisonment and a fine of Rs 1.02 lakh. In default of payment, he will undergo an additional six months of simple imprisonment.The court also convicted him under Section 506 of the Indian Penal Code for criminal intimidation, awarding one year’s imprisonment and a fine of Rs 2,000, with an additional 15 days’ imprisonment in case of non-payment.
