(Repeating, rephrasing para one)

Lucknow, May 28 (UNI) The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court will hear on July 2 the petition filed by Monu Mittal, convicted and sentenced to death in the Manjunath murder case by a sessions court.

A two-judge bench, comprising Justices A N Verma and S S Chauhan, deferred till July 2 the hearing into Monu's petition challenging the Sessions Court verdict.

A Sessions Court, Lakhimpur Kheri had pronounced death sentence on Monu convicted of murder of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) marketing official Munjunath.

On July 2, the HC will hear the petition filed by Monu along with the pending petitions of other accused, who had been sentenced to life.

Manjunath's bullet-riddled body was found in the nearby Sitapur district on November 19, 2005. A car was also recovered in the case.

The Indian Institute of Management, Lucknow (IIM-L) alumni was an upright government servant and had taken a tough stand regarding adulteration of fuel in the district by some petrol outlets.

Several witnesses have already turned hostile in the case.

UNI