Vani Gopal Sharma, the Karnal additional district and sessions judge who sentenced five people to death in a case of honour killing, has sought transfer.
Earlier, the Punjab and Haryana high court had directed the deputy commissioner (DCP) and the superintendent of police (SP) to provide her adequate security after she apprehended threat to her life.
Sharma had, in a landmark judgment, awarded death to five members of a family and life to a sixth accused for killing Manoj, 23, and Babli, 19. The two were hacked to death by the girl’s family within days of their marriage on May 18, 2007. Their bodies were thrown in a canal.
The girl’s brother Suresh, uncles Rajender and Baru Ram and cousins Gurdev and Satish got death, while Ganga Raj, leader of the village panchayat that ordered the couple’s killing, got life and driver Mandeep Singh, who kidnapped the newlyweds, seven years in jail.
Sources said Sharma had formally requested justice Mehtab Singh Gill of the Punjab and Haryana high court to transfer her to any station close to Chandigarh.
Gill is the administrative judge for the Karnal sessions division. Sharma had earlier brought to his notice the failure of the Karnal SP and DCP to provide adequate security to her and her family.
Taking a serious view of her apprehensions and the failure of the district administration to provide her security, Gill asked the DCP and SP to act.
He also directed them to upgrade Sharma’s security following the change in the threat perception.
The directions were issued during Gill’s visit to Karnal for an inspection.
But Sharma’s security was only marginally increased, compelling her to approach Gill again.
