Allahabad, Sep 23 (PTI) The Allahabad High Court has dismissed the appeal of five life convicts who killed a man by crushing him under the wheels of a tractor in 2003.

A two-judge bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Munishwar Nath Bhandari and Justice J J Munir passed the order dismissing the appeal filed by Pratap Singh, Sadhu, Devendra and Srikrishna who were convicted by the court of Additional Sessions Judge, Badaun for the offence of murder and sentenced to imprisonment for life.

Also Read | Bharat Bandh on September 27: Tamil Nadu Govt Backs Call for Nationwide Strike Against Farm Laws.

The trio had killed Riazzudin as he was selected as a 'Shiksha Mitra', while Pratap Singh, who was from the same village, could not succeed in doing so and harboured animosity against the deceased.

The court affirmed the lower court's judgment and directed three out of the four appellants -- Sadhu, Devendra and Srikrishna, who were out on bail, to surrender immediately before the trial court to serve the sentence. Pratap Singh was already in jail as his bail plea was not allowed earlier.

Also Read | Leh-Ladakh Tour Package Launched By IRCTC; 7-Day Trip to Begin From Lucknow On September 26, Check Price And Package Details.

According to the prosecution case, an FIR was lodged on November 11, 2003 by Sirajudin, father of Riazzudin at the Ushait Police Station of Badaun in which he stated that they were riding a tonga to Kadar Chowk when the four accused on a tractor intercepted them.

They pulled down Riazzudin and after physically assaulting him, threw him on the ground while Pratap Singh crushed him under the wheels of the tractor.

The state government counsel submitted that Riazzudin and Pratap Singh had applied for the post of a Shiksha Mitra and the former's appointment had left Pratap Singh seething with anger. He had sworn revenge which culminated in the killing.

The court after hearing the concerned parties observed, "Motive is not very relevant in a case of direct evidence where a dependable ocular version is available. Once there is evidence forthcoming on the basis of an eye-witness account, consistently narrated by multiple witnesses, motive is hardly relevant."

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)