A court in Uttar Pradesh’s Saharanpur has sentenced three members of a family to life imprisonment for the 2019 double murder of a journalist and his brother. The verdict was delivered on Friday by Additional District and Sessions Judge Alok Sharma, who found Mahipal Saini, his wife Vimlesh, and their son Suraj guilty of the killings. Alongside the sentence, the court imposed a collective fine of ₹1.95 lakh on the convicts.
The incident occurred on August 18, 2019, in the Kotwali Nagar area of Saharanpur. According to police records and trial proceedings, the case stemmed from a written complaint submitted by Urmila, the mother of the deceased and wife of Parveen Kumar, a resident of Madho Nagar. In her complaint, Urmila stated that a dispute over the disposal of cow dung and garbage into a local drain escalated into a violent altercation. She alleged that Mahipal Saini, his wife, son, father Jagdish, and three juveniles from the same family forcefully entered their home, armed with illegal weapons. The attackers allegedly abused and assaulted her sons, Ashish and Ashutosh Dhiman, before fatally shooting them.
Based on the complaint, the police registered a First Information Report (FIR) under sections of the Indian Penal Code dealing with murder and other related offences. After conducting a detailed investigation, law enforcement authorities submitted a charge sheet against the adult accused. The trial court examined the evidence and concluded that Mahipal, Vimlesh, and Suraj were criminally liable for the deaths of the two brothers.
Additional District Government Counsel Amit Tyagi confirmed that the trio was convicted following a full trial. The case against the three juveniles allegedly involved in the incident is currently under adjudication before the Juvenile Justice Board, as per the applicable provisions of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.
The judgment brings a significant development in a case that had attracted public and media attention due to the victims’ background and the violent nature of the offence.
