Meerut, July 2 -- After seven years of trial, a local court in Moradabad district sentenced shooter Vikas Chaudhary to life imprisonment in the 2018 murder case of RTI activist Qasim Saifi from Pakbara village. The verdict was pronounced by additional district and sessions judge-3 Anchal Lavania, who also imposed a fine of Rs.20,000 on the convict. However, the court acquitted three other accused - former Pakbara village head Haroon Saifi, ex-Samajwadi Party leader Alka Dubey, and an aide named Kuldeep - citing lack of concrete evidence against them.

Qasim Saifi, an RTI activist known for exposing irregularities in local development works, had gone missing on December 27, 2018, after leaving home for the tehsil office. His family lodged ...