Lucknow: A district court in Barabanki has sentenced a man to four years in jail and a fine of Rs 4,000 for the 2018 murderous assault on then corporator Harshit Dixit in Lucknow.The crime took place in Lucknow but the trial of the case was shifted to Barabanki on the directions of the high court following a petition by the named accused Manoj Kumar of Bahraich on the grounds that complainant Harshit was a close relative of the then general secretary of Lucknow Bar Association, Avnish Dixit.The crime took place on Oct 5, 2018, when Harshit was on his way home after dropping some relatives at Charbagh railway station around 2 am. As per the FIR, a man sitting in the driver’s seat of an autorickshaw attacked him at close range with the intention to kill. Police investigations identified the accused as Manoj Kumar of Bahraich and also established that the attack was unleashed following a property dispute.Govt counsel Varun Mishra said police filed a charge sheet against Manoj under section 307 of the Indian Penal Code (attempted murder). The court took note of the fact that the injuries suffered in the crime were of a serious nature and converted the case to section 308 of IPC (causing grievous injuries in murder attempt). Thereafter, the court held Manoj guilty and sentenced him to four years in jail and a Rs 4,000 fine.
