Khordha Court sentences murder-robbery accused to 10 years in jail

A district and sessions Court in Khordha has sentenced an accused to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 20,000 in connection with a robbery-cum-murder case reported from the Nayapalli area of Bhubaneswar in 2020.

The accused, identified as Narayan Mohanty, had forcibly entered a house in Nayapalli on July 26, 2020, and allegedly stole a gold chain. During the incident, he attacked Tulasi Devi with a sharp-edged weapon, leaving her critically injured.

Tulasi Devi was rushed to the hospital for treatment, but later succumbed to her injuries. The case had triggered concern over violent crimes during theft incidents in the city at the time.

After hearing the arguments and examining the evidence, the Khordha district judge pronounced the verdict, holding the accused guilty. The court relied on the testimonies of 17 prosecution witnesses, which established the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.

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“Judge Himanshu Sekhar Mallick has pronounced the verdict in connection with the case. The accused has been awarded 10 years of rigorous imprisonment and Rs 20,000 fine under Sec 394, 450 and 304 Part 2. In case of failure in payment of fine, an additional two years of rigorous imprisonment will be added,” said Subhashree Jena, Public Prosecutor.