Pioneer News Service
Ranchi
Delivering a major verdict on Tuesday in the high-profile murder case of Dhanbad’s Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADJ) Uttam Anand, the Jharkhand High Court upheld the life imprisonment sentence of both convicts, Lakhan Verma and Rahul Verma. A division bench headed by Justice Ranjan Mukhopadhyay dismissed the appeal petitions filed by both the accused. With this, the High Court has put its seal of approval on the sentence pronounced by the Special CBI Court in Dhanbad.
The division bench had already reserved its judgment after hearing arguments from both sides. Pronouncing the verdict on Tuesday, the court stated that the decision and sentence awarded by the Special CBI Court in the matter are appropriate. Therefore, there are no grounds to accept the convicts’ appeal. Following this decision by the High Court, both the accused will have to serve their life sentences.
The matter dates back to July 28, 2021, when Dhanbad ADJ Uttam Anand had gone out for a morning walk. During this time, a speeding auto-rickshaw hit him from behind. He died on the spot due to severe injuries.
The incident sent shockwaves across the country after its CCTV footage surfaced. The death of a serving judge under suspicious circumstances raised several questions.
Considering the gravity of the matter, the investigation was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Following the investigation, Lakhan Verma and Rahul Verma were arrested. The CBI filed a chargesheet against both under various charges related to murder and destruction of evidence. During the trial, the court found both guilty based on the available evidence and witnesses.
Meanwhile in another development, the Jharkhand High Court has directed the Eastern Railway to pay Rs 8 lakh in compensation, along with 7% annual interest, to the family of a man who died after allegedly falling from a moving train in 2017. Justice Sanjay Kumar Dwivedi allowed the appeal filed by the deceased’s wife and daughters, overturning the Railway Claims Tribunal’s order that had rejected their compensation claim.
The appeal challenged the Railway Claims Tribunal’s judgment dated April 26, 2023, which had dismissed the family’s claim for compensation arising from the death of Ashok Mehto alias Mahto. According to the case records, Ashok Mehto had purchased a valid second-class railway ticket to travel from Jamui to Madhupur on August 1, 2017, and boarded the Danapur-Tatanagar Express. When he failed to return home, his family searched for him and later discovered that he had reportedly fallen from the moving train near Nawapatri Cabin. His body was recovered the following day.
