Life imprisonment sentence given by a trial court to NSCN (IM) militant Hopeson Ningshen has been upheld by the Delhi High Court.
Hopeson Ningshen was sentenced for life for abducting and murdering three government officials in Manipur in 2009.
Ningshen and his men abducted Thingnam Kishan Singh, sub-divisional officer of Kasom Khullen in Ukhrul district in Manipur, and five others on February 13, 2009.
On February 17, 2009, bodies of Kishan Singh, Y Token Singh and A Rajen Sarma were recovered from the banks of the Tuphau Kuki river.
Ningshen, a self-styled lieutenant of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah) (NSCN (IM)), was arrested on May 25, 2009, after investigations pointed towards his involvement in the abduction and the triple murder.
He was sentenced for life by a trial court in 2014 and the Delhi High Court bench of Justice G S Sistani and Justice Chander Shekhar upheld the trial court’s verdict.
“The evidence would show that all the three deceased were beaten so brutally that their heads got deformed,” the court said.
“The above finding is further strengthened by CFSL reports. In this backdrop, we are of the view that the appellant needs no leniency and deserves a stricter punishment,” it added.