Punakha District Court has sentenced four people to prison terms ranging from three months to four-and-a-half years for involuntary manslaughter. The judgment was passed yesterday.
They were convicted for their involvement in the involuntary manslaughter of a man in his late 30s. The convicts are all family members of the deceased-his wife, brother-in-laws and mother-in-law.
The main convict, a 27-year-old man from Dzomey Gewog in Punakha, received a non-compoundable sentence of four years and six months. He was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter and tampering of the dead body.
He will also have to pay a compensation of Nu 471,000 to the legal beneficiary of the deceased within four months from the day of the judgment.
Another convict, a man in his 40s, has been sentenced to six months compoundable imprisonment for tampering the dead body. However, he can pay thrimthue in lieu of prison term.
Two women involved in the case were asked to pay over Nu 11,000 each for failing to report the crime in lieu of their three months imprisonment.
The incident took place at Kheleykha village in Dzomey Gewog on July 1 last year, following a fight between the deceased, who was under the influence, and the main convict.
