LUCKNOW: A 33-year-old man, already facing capital punishment in connection with a murder case, vowed to repeat the offence if freed from the prison.
The chilling exchange between him and the judge concerned in a Ghazipur sessions court, occurred on Thursday.
Amzad Khan, 33, was awarded death sentence by the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Shakti Singh after convicting him for brutally murdering his four-year-old nephew by slitting his throat.
Observing that the offence fell within the “rarest of rare” category and that the accused showed no remorse, the court of awarded capital punishment to Amzad Khan under the charges of IPC 302 (murder) to Amjad, who was convicted of killing his nephew Daniyal Khan in October 2021 following a minor family dispute.
As judge Shakti Singh was about to deliver the verdict, the courtroom witnessed a disturbing exchange that was later cited as reflective of the convict’s mentality.
According to Additional District Government Counsel (criminal) Akhilesh Singh, the judge asked Amjad what would he do if he released from prison. “If someone gets into a dispute with me, I will kill him too,” Amzad replied, leaving the courtroom shocked. When further asked if he regretted killing the child, Amjad reportedly said he felt no remorse.
Taking note of the brutality of the murder as well as the convict’s apparent lack of repentance, the court ordered that he be “hanged till death”.
In keeping with a judicial tradition associated with capital punishment orders, the judge also broke the nib of his pen after signing the sentence.
According to court records, the incident occurred on October 21, 2021, around 4.30 pm in Ghazipur. An FIR was lodged the same day by the victim’s uncle Arbaaz Khan, a resident of Mircha village under Dildarnagar police station in Ghazipur district.
The prosecution stated that the murder was carried out in an exceptionally brutal manner, leading to the child’s death on the spot. After investigation, police filed a chargesheet on December 24, 2021. The court took cognisance on April 13, 2022, and framed charges against the accused on August 22, the same year.
During the trial, the prosecution examined nine witnesses and placed documentary as well as forensic evidence before the court to corroborate the crime. After evaluating the material on record, the court held Amjad guilty under Section 302 of the IPC.
Along with the death sentence, the court imposed a fine of ₹50,000, with an additional six months’ imprisonment in case of default.
While delivering the verdict, Judge Shakti Singh made strong observations on the nature of the crime and its impact on the victim’s family. “The child was merely four-year-old and unaware of the world. All limits of cruelty were crossed. The mother witnessed her own brother killing her son. This pain cannot be expressed in words,” the court observed.
The judge noted that the victim was completely helpless and that the circumstances warranted the harshest punishment prescribed by law.
According to the prosecution, the incident took place at the child’s maternal grandparents’ home, where he had arrived with his mother, Shabana Naz. A minor argument allegedly broke out between Amjad and Shabana following which he, in a fit of rage, attacked the child with a knife and slit his throat in front of her.
During the trial, key testimony came from within the family itself, as three of the accused’s sisters and one brother deposed against him, supporting the prosecution’s case.
