Youth gets life term for Yamunanagar school principal’s murder

Shiv Kumar Sharma

Tribune News Service

Yamunanagar, March 12

Youth gets life term for Yamunanagar school principal’s murderAdditional Sessions Judge of the Exclusive Court for Heinous Crimes against Women, Neha Nohria on Thursday sentenced a youth accused of murdering his school principal to rigorous imprisonment for life.

The ASJ also slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 on the convict, Shivansh (now 20-year-old).

“The period of detention, already undergone by the convict during investigation, inquiry and trial be set-off against the substantive sentence awarded to the convict as per provisions of Section 428 of CrPC,” the ASJ said in his decision.

Pronouncing the verdict on February 25, 2020, Payal Bansal, the then Additional Sessions Judge had held Shivansh guilty of murder of principal Ritu Chhabra.

She reserved order on quantum of sentence for February 28, but the sentenced was pronounced today by ASJ Neha Nohria following transfer of ASJ Payal Bansal from this court to other court.

The court acquitted Shivansh’s father Ranjeet alias Sanjay of Hamida Colony of Yamunanagar on February 25. Ranjeet was made accused in the case as his son used his licensee revolver in the murder of the principal.

As per police record, Shivansh, who was 18 at the time the crime was committed and was a Class XII student of Swami Vivekanand Public School, shot dead his principal Ritu Chhabra on January 20, 2018.

During police interrogation, the accused said he was miffed over the behaviour of the principal, who used to object to his late coming to school and not completing homework.

The student fired four shots at Ritu Chhabra in her office, with his father’s licensed .32-bore revolver, leaving her critically injured.

On the complaint of Ritu’s husband Rajesh Chhabra, a resident of Model Colony of Yamunanagar, Shivansh was booked under Section 302 (murder) of the IPC and Arms Act at city police station, Yamunanagar.

The accused was overpowered by the people outside the school as he tried to flee and was handed over to the police.

The critically injured principal was admitted to Swami Vivekanand Multispecialty Hospital, close to the school, where she died after some time.

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