Shooter gets life sentence in RTI activist's 2018 murder case

Hindustan Times

13 hours ago

After seven years of trial, a local court in Moradabad district sentenced shooter Vikas Chaudhary to life imprisonment in the 2018 murder case of RTI activist Qasim Saifi from Pakbara village. The verdict was pronounced by additional district and sessions judge-3 Anchal Lavania, who also imposed a fine of ₹ 20,000 on the convict. However, the court acquitted three other accused — former Pakbara village head Haroon Saifi, ex-Samajwadi Party leader Alka Dubey, and an aide named Kuldeep — citing lack of concrete evidence against them. For representation only (HT File Photo)
Qasim Saifi, an RTI activist known for exposing irregularities in local development works, had gone missing on December 27, 2018, after leaving home for the tehsil office. His family lodged a missing person's complaint on December 29. The case was later reclassified as an abduction on January 3, 2019.
After several days of investigation, police arrested shooter Vikas Chaudhary on January 9 from Durmanjpur village in Shamli district. Acting on the accused's confession, police recovered Qasim's decomposed body from a sugarcane field near his village.
Further investigation led to the arrest of Alka Dubey and Kuldeep, while former village head Haroon Saifi surrendered in court after returning from Saudi Arabia.
Police alleged that Haroon Saifi had orchestrated Qasim's murder through Alka Dubey, who then hired Vikas Chaudhary as the shooter. Qasim had reportedly used RTI applications to seek information on development projects in Pakbara, which had allegedly created friction between him and the local leadership.
Following the arrests, all four accused were granted bail. However, the police later filed a chargesheet against them. The prosecution led by additional district government counsel Ranjeet Rathore argued for the strictest punishment.
On Monday, the court convicted Vikas Chaudhary based on the available evidence and sentenced him to life imprisonment along with a ₹ 20,000 fine. The remaining three accused were acquitted due to insufficient evidence.
Former village head Haroon Saifi, speaking after the verdict, claimed that his name was maliciously included in the case due to personal enmity. 'At the time of Qasim's murder, I was in Saudi Arabia performing Umrah. I was targeted under pressure by some local rivals,' he said.
However, Qasim's father, Sabir Hussain, expressed dissatisfaction with the court's decision. 'We believe Haroon Saifi was the mastermind behind my son's murder. Qasim had asked for RTI information on development work in Pakbara, which made him a target. Alka Dubey and Kuldeep were also involved. We will file an appeal in the high court,' he said.
The murder had sparked massive outrage in Pakbara. On January 11, 2019, when Qasim's body was brought back, angry residents vandalized the local police station and blocked the highway demanding immediate arrest of the accused. Tensions were only eased after the arrest and surrender of the key suspects.