Lucknow: A local court has sentenced a former deputy Mayor, a former ward Councillor of Lucknow and two policemen to life imprisonment for their involvement in a fake police encounter in the state capital around 24 years ago.
Additional Sessions Judge Swapna Singh on Friday convicted former deputy mayor Abhay Seth, former ward councillor Ashok Mishra and two police constables Ram Chander Singh Chandel and Shiv Bhushan Trivari. The then station officer of Aliganj DDS Rathore and constable Munshi Lal had also been named in the chargesheet but died during trial.
Aliganj police had claimed it had gunned down gangster Gopal Mishra on February 26, 1994, in an encounter. On December 11, 1997, the then Uttar Pradesh CM Kalyan Singh had directed CB-CID to register an FIR and investigate the case.
The CB-CID found that it was a fake encounter and filed charge sheet against the accused on September 27, 2003. The court framed charges on October 7, 2008 and began trial. The prosecution produced 13 witnesses, including the mother of the deceased who was an eyewitness to the incident.
The prosecution said that Gopal was a business partner with Ashok in construction business. Gopal wanted to construct a complex on a plot Ashok had been eyeing.On the day of the crime, Gopal was at the house of one Mohsina in Chaudhary Tola with his mother. Suddenly, a police team raided the house. Ashok and Abhay were with the team. Police shot Gopal and planted a country-made pistol provided by Ashok on his body.(UNI)