Chandigarh: Man gets life sentence in murder case 2022

The court sentenced Gurudutt Mishra to life imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹20,000 dollars on him. The key witness in the case, who was injured in the stabbing attack, had not identified the accused in court and was declared hostile. However, reports from the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) and DNA samples provided scientific evidence that led to the conviction.

The case was registered on the complaint of Rishabh, a resident of Hallo Majra, who said that he came out of Elante Mall after completing his duty at around 11 pm on December 12, 2022. He and his friend Ritesh, who also works there, took an auto.

When they came near Poultry Farm Chowk and got down from the autorickshaw, they saw a motorcyclist coming towards them. The accused put a knife on Ritesh's neck and started stabbing both of them. The man also started shouting and announced that he would kill them both. Subsequently, the injured were taken to GMCH-32 in a PCR van for treatment. During investigation, the accused Gurudutt Mishra was arrested. However, Ritesh died during treatment and subsequently a murder case was registered against the accused.

The duo was attacked without provocation. It also came to light that 15 cases were already pending against the accused, including one for attempted murder.

Rishabh, the prosecution's main witness who is also the complainant, did not support the prosecution's case and was declared hostile by the court. The prosecution said that accused Mishra stabbed and killed a youth without any provocation. “Not only that, he is a habitual criminal who has been involved in more than 15 cases and one of these cases was an attempt to murder,” it said.

“Witnesses can lie, but circumstances cannot. The blood-stained knife was found soon after the accused was arrested. The CFSL report of blood samples on the knife matched the blood samples of both victims. Although the witness turned hostile, strong scientific evidence led to the conviction,” said District Attorney Manu Kakkar.