Chennai: A city court found a 39-year-old man guilty of murdering his friend over losses incurred through gambling, and sentenced him to imprisonment for life. Though there were many irregularities and lacunae in the prosecution, the court imposed the sentence considering the aggravating as well as mitigating circumstances.“The accused has committed the gruesome act of killing his friend. However, at the time of the occurrence, the accused was only 29 years old and had married into the family. Hence, the present case cannot be termed a rarest of rare cases requiring the imposition of the death penalty. As there is every possibility of reformation, this court is inclined to impose life imprisonment,” P Sri Kumar, VII additional sessions judge, Chennai said.According to the prosecution, represented by additional city public prosecutor K Kalaichelvan, the deceased Kumar and the accused Jagathees alias Jagatheesan were friends. They used to gamble with money, and the accused had lost nearly ₹20 lakh by gambling.Pronouncing the sentence, the court also ordered adequate compensation to Vijayalakshmi, the mother of the deceased, under the victim compensation scheme.
