10 September 2025 :
A Dehradun court on August 22, 2025 awarded the death penalty to three men for murdering a rickshaw puller in Nov 2022 by forcing him to drink alcohol and smashing his head with a stone.
Two others who plotted the killing were sentenced to life, while the victim's wife, accused of conspiracy, was acquitted.
The court sentenced Arshad, Shahrukh, and Ravi Kashyap to death for killing Mohd Mohsin. Sabir Ali, named the main conspirator, and his relative Rais Khan, who helped plan the murder, were given life terms.
Additional district judge Mahesh Chandra Kaushiwa delivered the verdict on August 22.
Mohsin's wife, Sheeba, was given the benefit of the doubt due to lack of direct evidence.
Public prosecutor Arvind Kapil said Sabir had developed an illicit relationship with Sheeba, which led to tensions in Mohsin's home and ultimately the murder. The court noted that the convicts filmed the killing while abusing the victim. "The very act of filming the murder proves that it was not a sudden or impulsive crime but a pre-planned, consciously executed act of cruelty... Mohsin pleaded with folded hands not to take his life; however, the convicts were satisfied only by brutally mauling him to death. Convicts behaved in an uncivilised and barbaric manner against a helpless victim."
The judge added, "A crime of this magnitude, recorded and carried out with open contempt for human life, shakes the collective conscience of society. The crime squarely falls within the ‘rarest of rare' doctrine, where awarding the death penalty alone meets the ends of justice."
On Nov 28, 2022, the trio booked Mohsin's e-rickshaw, took him to Guchhupani, forced him to drink, and killed him by striking his head and face with a stone. Sabir, who ran a sanitary shop near Mohsin's house, had allegedly hired them, while Rais arranged their visit to Dehradun.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on each convict and directed Sabir and Rais to pay Rs 1 lakh each to Mohsin's two children. If they default, the amount will be recovered from their property.
