The Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) Court # 2 at Udaipur sentenced a 21 year old man convicted of murder, to Life Imprisonment. The court has additionally levied a cash penalty of Rs. 50,000 on the accused.

According to the Special Public Prosecutor, Advocate Sayed Hussain, on 21 March 2019, the accused Pankaj, a resident of Indra Nagar Colony, attacked his neighbor Sonu Pardesi along with 5 of his associates. Sonu was busy playing Holi with his relatives when this attack took place. The accused barged into the victim's house with swords, knives and sticks and other weapons and started assaulting Sonu. In the attack, Sonu along with five of his relatives, including his brother Pawan, Kamal, Sister in Law Geeta, Pinky and his niece Deepshikha sustained severe injuries in the attack. They were rushed to the Maharana Bhopal Government Hospital for treatment where one of the victim Pawan Succumbed to his injuries. At the time of attack the victim was a minor but now his age is 21 years. The accused also posted a video of the attack.

An FIR was registered against six accused including the main perpetrator, Pankaj, under Section 302 (Punishment for Murder ), 307 (Punishment for attempt of murder), 323 ( punishment for  for voluntarily causing hurt), 148 (punishment for rioting, being armed with a deadly weapon),149 (punishment for an unlawful assembly in prosecution of the common object of that assembly), (punishment for house-trespass in order to the committing of any offence punishable with death), 324 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapon), 325 (punishment for voluntarily causing grievous hurt) and Section 326 (punishment for grievous hurt by means of any instrument for shooting, stabbing or cutting, or any instrument used as a weapon of offence), Hussain added.

Public Prosecutor Sayed Hussain further said that the Sessions Court had transferred the case to POCSO Court after which more than 70 documents were produced and 27 witnesses were examined by the court during the trail.

Justice Sanjay Kumar Bhatnagar, of the POCSO Court no. 2 of Udaipur who heard the case sentenced the accused Pankaj with Life Imprisonment after finding him guilty for murder and also for causing injuries to those who tried to prevent the attack.

Sayed Hussain also informed that  four other accused involved in the case were  already convicted by the court and sentenced to Life Imprisonment on 31st January 2024.