Cricket Match Altercation Leads to Life Imprisonment for Seven in Ghaziabad Court

A recent court ruling in Ghaziabad has sentenced seven individuals, including two women, to life imprisonment for a murder that transpired in 2007 following a minor altercation during a cricket match in Hapur district. The prosecution confirmed that the incident occurred on December 27, 2007, when a dispute arose between two individuals named Harish Chand and Ravi Shankar amidst a cricket game.

Following the altercation, the police intervened under section 107/116 of the CrPC to diffuse the conflict. However, later that same day around 6.30 pm, a group of suspects affiliated with Shankar, armed with knives, launched an attack on Harish Chand’s residence. Tragically, during the assault, Harish Chand’s brother, Kishan Pal, sustained fatal injuries and succumbed to them. In addition, Harish Chand, as well as Shankar’s acquaintance Hari Gopal and relative Charan Das, also suffered severe injuries during the attack, as stated by additional district government counsel Rajesh Sharma.

The court proceedings, led by additional sessions judge Shiv Kumar Tiwary, pronounced the verdict, sanctioning life imprisonment for Dhanpat, Shera, Satish, Kalu, Sundar, and the two women, Har Pyari and Santosh Devi, under IPC section 302 for murder, along with a monetary penalty of ₹10,000 each. The court stipulated that failure to pay the fine would result in an additional six months of imprisonment.

Notably, the jurisdiction of the crime fell under the Bahadurgarh police station in Hapur district, a territory formerly part of Ghaziabad district, leading to the trial being conducted in a Ghaziabad court since its commencement in 2008. The prosecution further disclosed that the seven individuals were also handed seven years of imprisonment for IPC section 307 for attempt to murder, with the sentences running concurrently.