NEW DELHI: A Delhi court has awarded life imprisonment to a man for killing a vendor for not serving him ‘jalebis’ ahead of others in a queue at a shop near Bangla Sahib Gurudwara here. Additional Sessions Judge Dhirendra Rana awarded the punishment to Neeraj for offence punishment under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code, and under the provisions of the Arms Act related to unauthorised use of firearms.
“Perusal of the record narrates that the convict entered into a quarrel with the deceased as he wanted to be served jalebis before the other customers, who were standing in the queue. When the deceased (vendor) refused the same, the convict slapped him and took out a pistol and fired a gunshot from close range on the head of the deceased,” the judge said in an order passed on June 8.
The judge refused to grant death penalty, saying the case did not fall under the ‘rarest of rare’ category. “I have considered the mitigating circumstances involved in this case. Convict is not involved in any other case. He remained in custody throughout the trial. He is not a threat to society, and there are chances of his reformation. Therefore, the present case is not covered under the category of rarest of rare cases. Convict has been facing a protracted trial since 2014 and has a family containing his wife and two sons,” the judge said.
According to the prosecution, the incident took place on February 18, 2014 when the accused slapped the vendor, took out his pistol and fired from close range at his head after he refused to cut line.
The victim was shifted to a hospital, where he expired, it said, adding that Neeraj was apprehended near the spot, and a fake arms license was recovered from him.
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