20 get life imprisonment in murder case in Odisha’s Puri

Puri: The Additional District Judge (ADJ)-I here today sentenced as many as 20 persons to life imprisonment for murdering a man over a land dispute at Balajitpur village under Kanas police limits in Odisha’s Puri district in 2012.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 30,000 on the convicts.

Additional Public Prosecutor Satyanarayan Tripathy said the murder had taken place on September 12, 2012. The convicts were involved in attacking and killing one Manas Kumar Baliarsingh of the village over an issue pertaining to the cutting of a tree on government land in the locality.

They had also assaulted and injured the deceased’s uncle and aunt. The Kanas police had registered a case in this connection and carried out investigation.

Adjudicating the case, the court today awarded the punishment to the convicts.

A total of 24 witnesses were examined during the trial.