MANOJ SINHA
Ramgarh, May 20: Hazaribagh court of M Prasad, District judge VI has imposed five years imprisonment and a fine of Rs 10,000 to the five guilty of culpable homicide.
Those convicted include the names of Baldev Saw, Ranjan Prasad Saw, Shyam Saw, Krishna Saw and Sevli Devi. They have been sentenced to imprisonment for five years and a fine of Rs 10,000 each under section 304/34 of the Indian Penal Code. In default of payment of fine, all will have to undergo additional imprisonment of three months each.
At the same time, they have also been sentenced under other sections of the Indian Penal Code. The court has given this decision based on evidence and statements of eight witnesses in this case.
A case was registered in the Barhi police station after a fight during alleged Witchcraft practice. A woman named Kalavati Devi had lodged an FIR alleging that all the culprits had beaten her husband Kali Saw on charges of black magic.
During the trial, on behalf of the prosecution, Additional Public Prosecutor Bharat Kumar recorded the statements of eight prosecution witnesses before the court. At the same time, a witness on behalf of the defense was presented by the counsel for the defense.
After hearing the statements of the witnesses and the arguments of both the parties, the court gave this decision. It also said that the time spent in jail in the past would be harmonized in the period of sentence.
