CHANDIGARH: Punjab and Haryana high court on Friday upheld the death sentence of a man who had killed his six relatives by pushing them into Bhakra Canal.

The accused Khuswinder Singh had killed his six relatives by pushing them into Bhakra canal in June 2012 for money, which the deceased family had obtained from sale of their property.

Division bench comprising Justice S S Saron and Justice S P Banger of the HC has passed these orders while deciding on the murder reference sent by district and sessions judge Fatehagarh Sahib.

In March this year, the district and sessions judge Fatehagarh Sahib had awarded death sentence to Khuswinder Singh holding him guilty of pushing two children among six members of a family, into Bhakra Canal.

40 years old accused Khuswinder Singh, a native of Suhavi village of district Fatehagarh Sahib was a typist outside a local court and had planned to eliminate the family of his relatives for Rs 37 lakh, which they had got on sale of their property. He had taken the victim family to the Bhakra Canal near village Mukandpur in pretext of performing a religious ceremony.

The victims included 70 years old Gurmail Singh (a retired Punjab police constable), his wife Paramjit Kaur (60), their son Gurinder Singh (35), their son-in-law Rupinder Singh (34) and Rupinder Singh's son Jaskirat (7) and daughter Prabhsimran (6).Gurmail's son Gurinder Singh was an alcoholic and the accused Khuswinder Singh had taken Gurmail and his family to canal on the pretext that he knew a Godman who can cure their son by some prayers. Accused's wife was niece of the deceased Gurmail Singh.

The matter came to the knowledge of the police only when deceased Gurmail's daughter Jasmine (33) managed to survive and informed the police about the incident.