Fatehpur (UP): A court here has sentenced 15 people to life imprisonment in a triple-murder case in this district of Uttar Pradesh. District Government Counsel Sukhdev Gupta said Tuesday, “Additional District and Sessions Judge Ajay Kumar sentenced 15 accused to life imprisonment Monday and also slapped a fine of Rs 15,000 on each of them in a triple-murder case that was reported 24 years ago.”
The incident took place August 6, 1996 near a private bus stand in the Khaga area of the district, when a group of people demanded Rs 20 as ‘goonda tax’ per unit operation of private buses and another group said they will levy the tax and started firing, which led to the death of Sunil Singh, Ramniranjan Singh and Rakesh Singh,” Gupta said.
On the basis of complaints from the members of the first group, murder and attempt to murder cases were lodged against 18 people, while the other group got an attempt to murder case registered against eight people, the government lawyer said.
The court acquitted eight accused – Uday Pratap Singh, Abhay Pratap Singh, Manna Singh, Barhka Tiwari, Gudda Tiwari, Sunil Singh, Ramniranjan Singh and Rakesh Singh – of the first group for lack of evidence. Of them Sunil Singh, Ramniranjan Singh and Rakesh Singh had died in the firing.
Fifteen members of the second group – Pradeep Pandey, Kamal Pandey, Pappu Pandey, Prakash Pandey, Santosh Pandey, Rajesh Pandey, Sanjay Pandey, Neeraj Pandey, Rajendra Pandey, Tarachand Pandey, Santosh Tiwari, Chhotte Tiwari, Gyan Singh, Vijay Pandey and Mukesh Pandey – were held guilty by the court, Gupta said.
Naval Pandey and Ramasrey Singh of the second group died during the course of the hearing, while Barhku Pandey was acquitted, he added.
