CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has reserved its judgment on the death penalty awarded to nine persons in Rayagada triple murder case. The division bench of Justice SK Mishra and Justice AK Mishra reserved the judgment on Wednesday after completing fresh scrutiny of the prosecution case with a re-examination of the statements of the informant, 11 witnesses and related documents.
On April 13, 2018, the Court of Additional District Judge at Gunupur had awarded death penalty to nine persons for killing three members of a family after charging them with sorcery practice. Terming it to be a rarest of rare case, the ADJ sentenced them to death. The sentence has been referred to the High Court for confirmation. After the judgment, all nine accused had filed jail criminal appeal against capital punishment. The bench had taken the death reference case for hearing along with the jail criminal appeal of the convicts - Dengun Sabar, Dasunta Sabar, Aajanta Sabar, Padhantu Sabar, Dalasa Sabar, Malku Sabar, Bubuna Sabar, Lakiya Sabar and Iru Sabar.
The High Court appointed advocate Ratikanta Mohapatra for conducting the appeal on behalf of the convicts through the Legal Services Authority.The murders had occurred at Kitum village under Putasingh police limits in Rayagada distrct on September 6, 2016. The convicts had branded Asin Sabar, wife Ambai and their elder daughter Asimani as witches and held them responsible for the death of children in their village.
Accusing them of practising sorcery, the convicts dragged them out of their house and took them to a cowshed where they were beaten up mercilessly. After the victims fell unconscious, villagers injected pesticides and buried them alive. On learning that police had been tipped off about the murders, villagers exhumed the bodies and set those on fire the same night. Asin’s second daughter Melita Sabar, who was a witness, was threatened with dire consequence and asked not to disclose the incident. Melita lodged an FIR at Putasingh police station on September 16 leading to the arrest of nine persons.