Sessions Trial No. 13 of 2020; State vs [name withheld] (Death Reference No. 4 of 2023 with Crl. Appeal (DB) No. 588 of 2023)
Per the Jharkhand High Court judgment of 19-09-2024, RPF Constable of RPF Post Barkakana was convicted by the District & Additional Sessions Judge-I, Ramgarh (Sessions Trial No. 13 of 2020, judgment 13-03-2023) for opening indiscriminate fire with his service pistol on his neighbour-milk supplier's family at about 8 p.m. on 17-08-2019 when asked to pay milk dues, killing the informant's father, mother and [name withheld] sister and critically injuring the informant and another sister. The trial court imposed the death sentence (order 16-03-2023). The High Court upheld the ss.302/307 IPC convictions but, finding the offence a spur-of-the-moment act without preplanning, commuted death to 25 years RI without remission (plus 10 years RI for s.307, concurrent) and set aside the s.27 Arms Act conviction since a service pistol was used.
This page documents a trial-court conviction from the cited sources below. It is not a High Court or Supreme Court finding; the conviction may have been appealed. Findings are attributed to the convicting court; this record does not add findings of its own.
How verification works →Report card
By judgment dated 19 September 2024, the District & Additional Sessions Judge-I, Ramgarh (Sessions Trial No. 13 of 2020) convicted the Constable, Railway Protection Force (RPF) Post, Barkakana, Ramgarh.
- Register number
- JH 24 CW 0002
- Case reference
- Death Reference No. 4 of 2023 with Criminal Appeal (DB) No. 588 of 2023; reported in the judgment of the Jharkhand High Court
- Court and date
- The District & Additional Sessions Judge-I, Ramgarh (Sessions Trial No. 13 of 2020), 19 September 2024
- Officer(s) at the material time
- Constable, Railway Protection Force (RPF) Post, Barkakana, Ramgarh
- Present service status
- Not ascertained from the cited sources.
- Provisions invoked
- Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860; Section 307 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860
- Finding of the Court (extract)
- “Appellant went on the killing spree when due for milk supplied was asked for.”
- Verdict, sentence and quantum
- Conviction recorded by the trial court. Sentence: Trial (16-03-2023): death sentence. On appeal (19-09-2024): death commuted to 25 years RI without remission (s.302) plus 10 years RI (s.307), concurrent; conviction under s.27 Arms Act set aside
- Present status of the proceedings
- The conviction was affirmed in appeal.
Compiled from the judgment and the cited sources. Findings are those of the court; this card adds none of its own.
District & Additional Sessions Judge-I, Ramgarh (Sessions Trial No. 13 of 2020) convicted the accused police personnel on 19 September 2024. The conviction was upheld on appeal. Appeal text.
Sentence & charges
Sentence: Trial (16-03-2023): death sentence. On appeal (19-09-2024): death commuted to 25 years RI without remission (s.302) plus 10 years RI (s.307), concurrent; conviction under s.27 Arms Act set aside
Sections: IPC 302; IPC 307
Appeal status
Upheld on appeal. Appeal text