Kashmir: Man Found Guilty of Heinous Murder of Wife After 12 Years

Srinagar, Nov 18 : In a significant breakthrough, a fast track court in Jammu and Kashmir’s Budgam district has convicted a man for the heinous murder of his wife that took place 12 years ago.

As per the court order of which details available with News Agency Kashmir Scroll reads after a thorough investigation and due process, the court of Additional Sessions Judge (fast track), Budgam, found Mushtaq Ahmad Pandith, alias as Bilal, guilty of the murder of his wife Sameera Jan in May 2011 at their matrimonial house in Budgam district’s Kralpora.

Despite, being given the opportunity, the accused failed to provide any evidence or circumstances to support his claim of not being present at the scene of the crime on the day of the incident,” stated Judge Aijaz Ahmad Khan in his comprehensive 90-page order of which a copy lies with News Agency Kashmir Scroll.

Mushtaq Ahmad Pandith was charged under Section 302 of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC), which is the equivalent of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) in Jammu and Kashmir.

Before the reorganization of the region into two Union Territories in 2019, all crimes were tried under the RPC.

According to the more details of case, Sameera Jan’s life was tragically cut short when she was found dead in her husband’s house on May 1, 2011, with a knife brutally stabbed into her back. Soon after committing the crime, her husband fled and went into hiding.

After carrying out a thorough investigation, it was discovered that Mushtaq Ahmad Pandith had initially escaped to Delhi before eventually relocating to Jammu, where he was apprehended on May 13, 2011.

The court will commence the hearing for determining the appropriate sentencing for the convict on November 23, bringing some semblance of closure and justice for the victim’s family. (KS)