LAWS(P&H)-2026-4-20

STATE OF PUNJAB Vs. VINOD SHAH

Decided On April 06, 2026
STATE OF PUNJAB Appellant
V/S
Vinod Shah Respondents

JUDGEMENT

(1.) On the evening of Mar 09, 2019, the victim 'N', whom this Court would affectionately refer to as 'Laadli', was allegedly abducted by the appellant/convict Vinod Shah, aged 21, who was her paternal cousin (Bhaanja of Laadli's father), and after that the appellant/ co-convict Rohit Sharma, aged 19, joined him, and both of them committed rape upon her in an uninhabited godown, and subsequently, strangulated her and also inflicted brick blows on her head, and both acts of assaults resulted in her death, and for this crime, both Vinod and Rohit were arrested, prosecuted, and upon conviction by the trial Court, were awarded death sentences, in addition to the other sentences as captioned above.

(2.) The Trial Court had sent the murder reference to this Court under 366(1) CrPC, 1973, for its confirmation, whereas the convicts Vinod Shah and Rohit Kumar Sharma have come up before this Court through separate appeals under 374(2) CrPC, challenging the judgment of conviction and order of sentence, seeking their acquittal.

(3.) We have heard Mr. Swarn Kumar Sandhir, for the convict, Vinod Shah, Mr. Tarun Singla and Mr. Ashish Singla for the convict, Rohit Kumar Sharma, Ms. Pooja Nayar Sharma, DAG, for the State of Punjab, and also Mr. Sanjeev Kumar, Advocate, as Amicus curiae. We have also gone through the record.