No HC relief in death sentence order in Roorkee murder case; reserves hearing

Dehradun: Uttarakhand high court on Monday declined to grant relief to two men — one awarded death sentence and the other life imprisonment — by the court of additional district and sessions judge in Roorkee for the murder of a Dalit woman in 2021.A division bench of Justices Ravindra Maithani and Siddharth Sah was hearing an application filed by convicts Haider and Rehan seeking their release, and reserved the case for a final hearing on March 17.The incident dates back to April 24, 2021, when the deceased's brother, Dinesh Kumar, filed a complaint at Gangnahar police station in Roorkee, accusing Haider of harassing his sister as she refused to marry him. He stated that when his sister was alone at home, Haider barged into the house with Rehan and another accomplice. The three men then severed her head from her body with a sharp weapon. Based on his complaint, a case was registered and the three were arrested the same day.During the trial, 13 witnesses were presented before court. The prosecution argued that the men committed the crime in a planned manner and that the other accomplice should also be punished.On June 21 last year, the court of additional district and sessions judge awarded Haider death penalty and sentenced Rehan to life imprisonment. The third accused was declared a juvenile in conflict with the law, and his case is being heard before a juvenile court.