Mohali: After an eight-year-long trial, a Mohali court has convicted Seerat Kaur Dhillon for the murder of her husband, businessman Aikom Singh Dhillon, and sentenced her to rigorous imprisonment for life. Besides the life sentence, the court imposed a total fine of Rs 90,000 on the convict.The court held Seerat guilty under Section 302 of the IPC and sentenced her to rigorous imprisonment for life along with a fine of Rs 50,000. She was also convicted under Section 201 of the IPC for causing disappearance of evidence and awarded three years’ rigorous imprisonment with a fine of Rs 20,000. Additionally, she was convicted under Section 25 of the Arms Act and sentenced to three years’ rigorous imprisonment with another Rs 20,000 fine.Advocate Terminder Singh, who represented complainant Darshan Singh Dhillon, said after the verdict that it has been a long struggle. Seerat has been in judicial custody since March 2017, which is when she was arrested for the murder.The sensational case dates back to the night of March 19, 2017, when 37-year-old businessman Aikom Singh Dhillon was shot dead inside the couple’s residence in Phase-3B1, Mohali. According to the prosecution, Seerat shot her husband in the head with a licensed 9 mm pistol following a domestic dispute allegedly linked to her friendship with another man.Investigators alleged that after killing her husband, Seerat attempted to dispose of the body by packing it into a large suitcase. The following day, she hired an auto-rickshaw driver to help load the heavy suitcase into the boot of her BMW car.However, the plan allegedly failed when the auto-rickshaw driver, Tul Bahadur, noticed blood oozing from the suitcase. Growing suspicious, he immediately left the spot and alerted the police. Acting on the information, police reached the house, recovered Aikom’s body from the suitcase and arrested Seerat.During the trial, the prosecution relied on several crucial witnesses and forensic evidence to establish the sequence of events.One of the most significant witnesses was the couple’s minor son, who testified before the court that he was in an adjoining room when he heard his father scream, followed by a gunshot. His testimony formed an important part of the prosecution’s case regarding the events inside the house.The family’s domestic help also emerged as a key witness. She identified Seerat before the court and stated that she had seen her cleaning bloodstains inside the house after the incident. According to the prosecution, the maid’s testimony supported the allegation that efforts were made to destroy evidence after the murder.The testimony of auto-rickshaw driver Tul Bahadur also proved crucial. He told the court that Seerat had sought his assistance in lifting the unusually heavy suitcase into her BMW. His suspicion arose after noticing blood leaking from the suitcase, prompting him to inform the police, which ultimately led to the recovery of the body.The prosecution further pointed out that during the initial stages of investigation, Seerat had confessed to committing the murder. However, during the course of the trial, she altered her stand and claimed that Aikom had died by suicide. The court, however, accepted the prosecution’s version supported by eyewitness testimony, circumstantial evidence and forensic material.With the conviction and sentencing, the high-profile murder case that had attracted widespread public attention since 2017 has finally reached its conclusion at the trial court level.BOXKey evidence that led to convictionAuto-rickshaw driver Tul Bahadur testified that he noticed blood oozing from the suitcase while helping Seerat load it into her BMW, after which he alerted police.The family’s maid identified Seerat in court and stated that she saw her cleaning bloodstains inside the house after the shooting.The couple’s minor son testified that he heard his father scream followed by a gunshot from inside their Mohali residence.Police recovered Aikom Singh Dhillon’s body from the suitcase before it could be disposed of.The prosecution relied on forensic evidence and witness testimonies to establish the murder and the subsequent attempt to destroy evidence.BOXTIMELINE IN CASEDate of Offence 19.03.2017Date of FIR 19.03.2017Date of Charge Sheet/Police Report 15.06.2017Date of Framing of Charges 19.07.2017Date of commencement of evidence 18.08.2017Date of the judgment 03.07.2026Date of the Sentencing Order, if any 03.07.2026BOXSatisfied with verdict, says Aikom Singh Dhillon’s brotherExpressing satisfaction over the court’s verdict, Darshan Singh Dhillon, younger brother of Aikom Singh Dhillon, said the family had finally received justice after a long legal battle.“We are fully satisfied with the judgment of the court. Although the trial took a long time, justice has finally prevailed. We had always hoped that the accused would be convicted and awarded life imprisonment, and the court has delivered exactly that. The sentence of rigorous imprisonment reinforces our faith in the judicial process,” he said.Darshan Singh Dhillon added that the family was grateful to the legal system and had always trusted the courts. He said that if the convicted accused files an appeal before the High Court, the family is fully prepared to contest the case and, if necessary, pursue it up to the Supreme Court to ensure that the conviction is upheld.
