The two convicts, Tausif and Rehan, held guilty for murdering 21-year-old Nikita Tomar in October 2020, were sentenced to life imprisonment by a sessions court on Friday, 26 March.
On 24 March, they were convicted of murder, kidnapping or abduction in order to murder, common intention and criminal conspiracy. The third, Arjudeen, who was accused of supplying the weapon, was acquitted by the sessions court in Faridabad.
Nikita’s family had demanded death sentence for Tausif and Rehan.
“Nikita’s murder was not a normal one. She was murdered because she did not give up her religion. Her sacrifice should be treated as a rarest of rare cases and the two accused should be hanged till death,” Nikita’s father, Moolchand Tomar, had said after the conviction.
Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij told reporters, “We are studying the judgment and will appeal in the high court seeking death penalty for the convicts.”
Background
BCom student Nikita Tomar was shot dead by her stalker in broad daylight outside her college on 26 October, allegedly after she refused his proposal for marriage.
The prime accused Tausif belongs to an influential family of Congress MLAs in the region and had tried to abduct in 2018. However, the complaint was withdrawn after a settlement between the two families.
Nikita’s brother, Naveen Tomar had told The Quint:
“That time, there was pressure on us since the accused had political connections. They told us she is a girl, there could be problems in getting her married. They had assured us that their son will never bother my sister anymore. That is why we had withdrawn the FIR.”
“He did not harass her for the last two years after that incident. So, we also became relaxed.[sic.]”
A five-member Special Investigating Team (SIT) probing the murder submitted a 700-page charge sheet in the local court. "The charge sheet contains digital, forensic and material evidence, besides statements of 60 witnesses, including a woman," a police official told the media.
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