A COURT in Kanpur Dehat has held a 73-year-old woman and her two sons guilty in a 2007 murder case linked to a land dispute in Behta Bujurg village of the district. The convicted woman, Neelam Devi, is the wife of retired judge Shivbaran Singh, who was also named in the case but died in 2017, a senior lawyer said on Saturday. Additional District Government Counsel (ADGC), Kanpur Dehat, Vivek Kumar Tripathi, said the court found Neelam Devi and her sons — Jaivardhan Singh and Yashovardhan Singh, both in their 50s — guilty of murder. The judge’s daughter-in-law, Sheelu Singh, wife of Jaivardhan, was acquitted on the basis of benefit of doubt. The court has scheduled May 14 for the pronouncement of the sentence. Neelam Devi and her son Jaivardhan had earlier jumped bail, after which the court issued non-bailable warrants against them. “They were arrested last month and sent to jail. On Friday, Neelam Devi and Jaivardhan appeared before the court via video-conferencing from the district jail, while Yashovardhan was present in person. After the court found him (Yashovardhan) guilty, he was taken into custody,” said Tripathi. The court examined nine prosecution witnesses and three defence witnesses during the course of the trial. All three were convicted under IPC sections 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder), and other relevant charges. Tripathisaid, “Shivbaran Singh, one of the accused who died during the trial, had retired as a district judge.” According to Tripathi, the case dates back to April in 2007, when an FIR was registered against five persons — retired judge Shivbaran Singh, his wife Neelam Devi, their two sons and daughter-in-law — for allegedly attacking and killing their relative Virendra Singh and injuring his son, Navneet Singh. The dispute centered around a piece of land in Behta Bujurg village, which Virendra Singh had been using to keep his cattle. Tensions escalated when Shivbaran Singh allegedly attempted to take possession of the land by constructing a boundary wall. Virendra had moved court and secured a stay on the construction, which reportedly angered the accused. The prosecution said that on the evening of April 29, the accused attacked Virendra Singh with sticks and other blunt objects. Virendra's son Navneet was also injured in the assault. Both were taken to a hospital, where doctors declared Virendra dead. A murder case was registered at Ghatampur police station, and following investigation, the police filed a chargesheet against the accused.
