Delhi man gets life term 12 years after killing vendor over ‘jalebi’ queue dispute
Incident occurred on 18 February 2014, after Neeraj demanded to be served ahead of others in the queue
A Delhi court has sentenced a man to life imprisonment, 12 years after he shot dead a sweet shop vendor for refusing to serve him 'jalebis' ahead of other customers waiting in a queue near Bangla Sahib Gurudwara.
Additional sessions judge Dhirendra Rana awarded the sentence to Neeraj, who was convicted earlier this month under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code and provisions of the Arms Act for illegally using a firearm.
The incident occurred on 18 February 2014, when Neeraj entered into an argument with the vendor after demanding to be served before others standing in line.
"The convict entered into a quarrel with the deceased as he wanted that jalebis would be given to him before other customers, who were standing in the queue. When the deceased refused the same, the convict slapped him and took out a pistol and fired a gunshot from close range on the head of the deceased," the court said in its 8 June sentencing order.
The vendor was rushed to a hospital, where he later succumbed to his injuries. Neeraj was apprehended near the spot, and police recovered a fake arms licence from him.
While sentencing the convict, the court noted several mitigating factors, including that he had no previous criminal record, remained in custody throughout the trial and had a wife and two sons.
"I have considered the mitigating circumstances involved in this case. Convict is not involved in any other case. He remained in custody throughout the trial. He is not a threat to society, and there are chances of his reformation," the judge observed.
The court held that the case did not fall within the "rarest of rare" category warranting the death penalty.
"The convict has been facing a protracted trial since 2014 and has a family containing his wife and two sons," the judge noted before sentencing him to life imprisonment for murder.
The verdict brings to a close a trial that lasted more than a decade over a dispute that began with a demand to jump a queue for a serving of jalebis.
With PTI inputs