Ludhiana, March 27 -- A Ludhiana court on Wednesday sentenced 17 people in the 2012 above poverty line (APL) wheat scam, nearly 14 years after the case was registered. Special judge Amrinder Singh Shergill had declared them guilty on March 23.

Of the 30 accused in the case, 17 were convicted, six acquitted, five died during the trial, one was declared a proclaimed offender and charges against one were dropped. Among those convicted, 13 received five-year jail terms, while four were sentenced to four years. Most of the convicts were depot holders, along with a flour mill owner and a private firm owner.

The scam came to light when the Punjab Vigilance Bureau registered the case on September 1, 2012. Investigations revealed that over 1,100...