In the high-profile Yug murder case, the Himachal Pradesh High Court on Tuesday commuted the death sentences of two convicts to life imprisonment and acquitted a third, a verdict that has drawn strong objections from both the victim’s family and the State government, which plans to challenge the ruling in the Supreme Court.

A special division bench of Justice Vivek Singh Thakur and Justice Rakesh Kanthla modified the 2018 district court order that had awarded capital punishment to Chander Sharma, Tejinder Pal and Vikrant Bakshi. While Sharma and Bakshi will now serve life imprisonment, Pal has been acquitted.

Additional Advocate General Jitender Sharma, who represented the State in the High Court, said the government was dissatisfied with the ruling.

“We are not happy with the judgment.

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