RAJA RAM Vs. STATE OF U.T. CHANDIGARH

JUDGEMENT

(1.) RAJA Ram (51) and his wife Shanti Devi (45) lived in 1860, Phase-II, Ram Darbar, Chandigarh. Their daughter Usha was married to Shambu Yadav (25) deceased, who suffered burns on November 15, 1998 in an open park near 1860, Phase-II and died early on the following morning.

(2.) RAJA Ram and Shanti Devi were convicted of their son-in-law's murder by the learned Additional Sessions Judge, Chandigarh, on July 19, 2000, primarily on the basis of two statements of the deceased exhibit PK/3 recorded at 3.28 p.m. by Shri K.C. Garg, Judicial Magistrate (PW-13) and exhibit PN recorded at 4.50 p.m. by SI Hari Prem (PW-16).

(3.) WE may briefly sum up the facts of the case. On the fateful day Raja Ram and Shanti Devi were present in the house when Shambu Yadav came there to take his wife Usha with him. Usha's parents refused to let her go. There was a quarrel between them and the deceased. Thereafter, kerosene oil was poured on Shambu Yadav by Raja Ram and Shanti Devi and he was set aflame. All this happened in the park near their house. After Shambu Yadav caught fire he ran towards 1860. The police was called. Thereupon HC Sunder Dass (PW-5) reached the spot in a Gypsy CH-01-G-9639 and found Shambu Yadav lying burnt in front of 1908. Shambu Yadav was evacuated to PGI and admitted there. Police control room was informed.