Delhi court convicts man for trying to kill uncle over decade-old grudge

A Delhi court convicted a man for attempting to murder his paternal uncle by stabbing him multiple times while he was asleep, saying the attack stemmed from a long-standing grudge as the accused blamed the victim’s family for his father’s death a decade earlier.

Principal District and Sessions Judge Nisha Sahay Saxena convicted Chander Prakash alias Neetu under BNS Section 109(1) (attempt to murder) in the September 2024 case registered at Shalimar Bagh police station.

In the July 14 order, the court said, “This court is of the firm and considered opinion that the prosecution has successfully and conclusively established its case against the accused, Chander Prakash alias Neetu, beyond all reasonable doubt. The prosecution has proved that the accused attacked the injured, Radha Charan, with such intention and knowledge.”

According to the prosecution, Chander Prakash stabbed his uncle on September 2, 2024, while he was asleep. After hearing his father shout, the victim’s son rushed to the spot and saw the accused fleeing with a knife. Police later arrested the accused and recovered the weapon. The prosecution said the accused harboured a grudge against the victim’s family, believing they were responsible for the death of his father nearly a decade earlier. Both the injured and his son also deposed that the accused had assaulted the victim in the past.

Rejecting the defence’s contention that there were material contradictions in the testimonies of witnesses, the court held that the evidence of the injured witness carried a high degree of reliability and was corroborated by forensic and medical evidence, including the recovery of the knife and the presence of blood on it.

The court said the accused arrived at the victim’s house armed with a knife, attacked him while he was asleep and targeted vital parts of the body, demonstrating a clear intention to kill.

“It was only upon the injured’s cries… that the accused was compelled to abandon the assault and flee the scene,” the judge said, adding that the victim survived only because of the timely intervention of his son and prompt medical treatment.

Holding that the prosecution had proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt, the court convicted Chander Prakash for the offence of attempt to murder under BNS Section 109(1).