PRAYAGRAJ, Nov. 18 -- Two decades after the killing of a 28-year-old married woman in Nawabganj area of Prayagraj, the additional sessions court sentenced seven of her in-laws to life imprisonment.

Delivering the verdict, judge Mridula Mishra held that the crime committed by the accused was extremely grave and had the potential to send a wrong message to society if left unpunished.

Those awarded life imprisonment along with a fine of Rs.5,000 each included Suresh Kumar, Maan Singh, Santosh Kumar, Bhagdevrahi, Mathi, Kumari Rani Devi and Sant Lal.

The court observed that the chain of circumstantial evidence was strong and clearly pointed towards murder. It noted that the in-laws attempted to tamper with evidence and failed to prove thei...