Life term awarded in 2014 Tawi body-chopping murder case

30/05/2026

JAMMU, May 29: A court here has awarded life imprisonment to a man convicted in the sensational 2014 Tawi body-chopping murder case involving the brutal killing and mutilation of a person whose dismembered remains were recovered from the River Tawi near Bhoothnath Mandir, officials said on Friday.
Principal Sessions Judge Jammu R.N. Watal sentenced Sarwan Panday to life imprisonment after convicting him under Section 302 of the Ranbir Penal Code (RPC) for the murder of Chikna Bawa. The court also awarded him three years' simple imprisonment under Section 4/25 of the Arms Act. Both sentences will run concurrently, subject to confirmation by the High Court of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.
According to the prosecution, the case stemmed from FIR No. 42/2014 registered at Police Station Nowabad after mutilated body parts of the victim were recovered from the Tawi river on March 9, 2014.
The investigation revealed that the victim's head, arms and legs had been severed with a sharp-edged weapon and the torso was wrapped in a blanket before being dumped into the river near Bhoothnath Mandir.
The court held that the prosecution had successfully established a chain of circumstantial evidence against Panday, including motive, last-seen evidence and recovery of the weapons allegedly used in the crime. An axe, a parth and a lathi were recovered from the temple premises where the convict was residing, the court noted.
The judgment observed that the deceased and the convict were involved in the sale and purchase of charas and that a monetary dispute arising out of the illegal trade provided the motive for the murder.
The court concluded that Panday murdered Chikna Bawa and later mutilated the body in an attempt to conceal the crime.
Meanwhile, co-accused Mohd. Saleem Khan and Pintu Paswan were acquitted after the court found the evidence against them insufficient to establish their involvement in the murder.
The court noted that the prosecution had primarily relied on the recovery of ashes of burnt clothes from the two accused and held that such evidence was inadequate to prove their complicity in the crime.
During arguments on sentencing, Public Prosecutor Hemanshu Parkash sought the death penalty, contending that the murder was carried out in an exceptionally brutal and inhuman manner.
Counsel for the convict, advocate Tarun Sharma, pleaded for leniency, arguing that Panday was not a habitual offender and had family responsibilities. Advocate Anil Bargotra appeared as amicus curiae for the acquitted accused.
Rejecting the plea for a lighter sentence, the court observed that the gruesome murder of a young man warranted stern punishment and should act as a deterrent against similar crimes. However, it declined to impose capital punishment, holding that the case did not fall within the category of the "rarest of rare" cases.
The court directed that the trial records along with the judgment and sentence order be forwarded to the High Court for confirmation and informed the convict of his statutory right to challenge the conviction and sentence before a higher court.

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