Eight PWP workers convicted 19 years after committing crime

Mumbai, Apr 10 (UNI) The Bombay High Court today convicted, almost 19 years after the incident, eight peasants and party workers from neighbouring Raigad district and sentenced them to life imprisonment, for murdering a Congressman and severely injuring six others.

However, the court acquitted four accused for want of evidence.

The incident dates back to April 2, 1988 when a group of PWP workers in Phunde village, from Uran tehsil of Raigad district had attacked Congress workers, in which one Suresh Gharat was killed and six others seriously injured.

Alibag Sessions court had acquitted all the accused, saying that the prosecution case had not been proved beyond reasonable doubt.

A division bench of Justice D G Deshpande and Justice S R Sathe today partially reversed the trial court's judgement and convicted eight of the 12 accused, against whom the state had filed an appeal.

The court convicted them under sections 148, 326 and 302 of the IPC for various offences and sentenced them to life inprisonment.

The court has granted the convicted accused, eight weeks time to surrender for undergoing the prison term, which will also allow them to file an appeal in the Apex court.

UNI