93 riots: Shiv Sena leader gets 1-year jail term

{image-mumbai blasts_09072008.jpg news.oneindia.in}Mumbai, Jul 9: A Mumbai magistrate's court has convicted senior Shiv Sena leader Madhukar Sarpotdar and two others in a 1993 Mumbai riots case.

Magistrate RC Bapat Sarkar has convicted Sarpotdar along with 3 Shiv Sena activists -Ashok Shinde and Jaywant Parad - for making inflammatory speeches and causing enmity between religious groups during the riots. Madhukar Sarpotdar has been sentenced to one-year imprisonment and fined Rs 5,000.It was alleged that on December 27, 1992, Sarpotdar had led a mob of 5,000 persons in Bandra. Last week, a key witness in the case had identified Sarpotdar as the person who gave a provocative speech on December 27, 1992, near a Ganesh Temple in Bandra.

However, the sentence for all three convict including Sarpotdar has been suspended till August 16 on an application filed by the defence lawyer. They will now approach the Sessions Court against the conviction. Sarpotdar has already got bail.

Two other co-accused Umesh Pawar, Shantaram Sarvantar and Pradeep Khanvilkar were acquitted due to lack of evidence.

OneIndia News