UP court convicts all seven in Prabal Agarwal murder case
The case dates back to December 19, 2012. It is alleged that Prabal Agarwal, a resident of Mohalla Jatan, was assaulted during a Maharaja Agrasen Jayanti celebration at the city’s Shehnai Banquet Hall. The accused then took him away in a car, where, after a doctor declared him dead, his body was thrown into the Ganges River. Following the incident, the city witnessed prolonged protests and large numbers of people took to the streets.
About six months after the incident, Prabal’s father, Alok Agarwal, also passed away. Following this, his sister, Prachi Agarwal, continued the legal battle. Police filed a charge sheet against Ashish Agarwal, Vinay Agarwal, Apoorva Agarwal, Rahul Gupta, Nikhil, Sanjay Gupta, and Anuj Agarwal.
On Wednesday, the court of Additional District and Sessions Judge Shahzad Ali convicted all seven accused. Following their conviction, they were sent to jail in judicial custody. The court will now pronounce its sentence on July 31.
Following the verdict, Prachi Agarwal said that after a 14-year legal battle, she had received justice. She demanded the court award the harshest punishment to all the accused. Meanwhile, Ahmed Jakawat, the victim’s lawyer, described the verdict as a victory for justice, saying that after a lengthy trial, the court had found the accused guilty based on the available evidence.
She also alleged that the initial investigation and the charge sheet contained several shortcomings, but despite this, the court properly evaluated the evidence and delivered its verdict.
