Varanasi: A court in Azamgarh on Thursday sentenced nine people, including a BJP functionary, to life imprisonment in the 2007 double murder case of Rudari village under Rani Ki Sarai police station.
Additional sessions judge-I, Kamalapati, also imposed a fine of Rs 74,000 on each convict. The case dates back to Oct 21, 2007, the day of Dussehra , when complainant Ram Janam Singh, a resident of Rudari village, was sitting outside his house. An FIR was lodged against 10 accused at Rani Ki Sarai police station under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. The prosecution examined 17 witnesses during the trial.
A group of armed men arrived there and attacked members of his family over rivalry linked to the village pradhan election, according to the prosecution. Police said the conviction was secured under the “Operation Conviction” campaign through effective investigation by the district police, close supervision by the monitoring cell and strong prosecution. One of the accused, Radheshyam Singh, died during the trial. After hearing arguments from both sides, the court convicted Vipin Singh, Rajesh Singh, Chunnu alias Ranvijay, Chhotu alias Pankaj Singh, Balwant Singh, Loknath Singh, Jeevan Prakash Singh, Shivdas Singh and Arvind Singh. All the convicts are residents of Rudari village. Vipin is Rani Ki Sarai block chief and also a BJP functionary.
After investigation, police filed a charge sheet before the court.