CHANDIGARH: Almost five months after 21-year-old Nikita Tomar was shot dead in broad daylight outside her college in Haryana’s Ballabhgarh, a fast-track court in Faridabad on Friday sentenced two men to life imprisonment for the murder. Additional District and Sessions Judge Sartaj Baswana sentenced prime accused Tausif and another accused Rehan for life and imposed a fine of `20,000 on each.“Both have been sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of murder under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code. The court also awarded them five years’ imprisonment for kidnapping and five years for criminal conspiracy. Tausif was also sentenced to four years in prison under the Arms Act. All sentences will run concurrently,” said defence counsel Adal Singh Rawat.
After the court pronounced the quantum of punishment, Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij said that the state will file an appeal before the high court for capital punishment to the convicts. Nikita’s family, which had been demanding capital punishment to the accused, is also expected to file an appeal. The court, on March 24, had convicted Tausif and Rehan for conspiracy, kidnapping and homicide while acquitting a third accused Azharuddin who was arrested on charges of supplying the illegal gun used in the crime.
Nikita, a BCom final-year student, was shot dead in broad daylight outside her college in Ballabhgarh on October 26 last year while returning home. Tausif was trying to force her into marrying him, police said. Amid outrage over the murder, which was caught on camera, Vij had linked it to ‘love jihad’.Tausif had allegedly told the police that he shot Nikita because she was about to get married to someone else. A Special Investigating Team was formed by the Haryana Police to probe the case.
Crime to conviction in five months
Oct 26, 2020: Nikita Tomar shot dead outside her college in Ballabhgarh
Nov 6: SIT of Haryana Police files a 700-page charge sheet before court
March 24, 2021: Court convicts Tausif and Rehan for conspiracy, kidnapping and homicide