Rohtak, Aug. 28 -- A local court on Thursday sentenced former Meham MLA Balbir Singh, alias Bali Pehlwan, and six others to rigorous life imprisonment in the 2011 murder of a grain trader in Rohtak.

Additional district and sessions judge Kapil Rathi passed the sentence a day after holding them guilty. The court did not treat the case as among the "rarest of rare" and therefore declined to award the death penalty.

According to Tejvir Ahlawat, advocate for the victim's family, before the sentence was pronounced, Bali Pehlwan sought mercy, saying he was a heart patient who had undergone surgery and needed medical care. But his plea was rejected.

The other convicts, all from Mokhra village are Sunil Kumar, Pawan, Sunil , Rajesh, Dinesh ali...