Ex-SP MLC Kamlesh Pathak, 9 others get life term in double murder
KANPUR, Aug. 20 -- A special MP/MLA court in Auraiya on Wednesday sentenced former Samajwadi Party MLC Kamlesh Pathak and nine other accused to life imprisonment for the 2020 double murder of lawyer Manjul Chaubey and his cousin Sudha.
Earlier in the day, the court convicted all 10 accused of murder, attempt to murder and offences under the Arms Act. The sentence was pronounced after the court heard arguments on the quantum of punishment following the lunch break. Security was tightened around the court complex on Wednesday as the verdict and sentencing were delivered.
Pathak's brothers Santosh Pathak, a former block pramukh, and Ramu Pathak were among those sentenced. The other convicts were Kuldeep, Vikalp, Ashish Dubey, Lalla Chaubey, Shivam Awasthi, Pathak's gunner Avneesh Pratap Singh and Bhagwat Acharya Rajesh Shukla.
The killings took place on March 15, 2020, at the Panchmukhi Hanuman temple complex in Narayanpur, where Manjul Chaubey and Sudha were shot dead in broad daylight. The incident sent shockwaves through Auraiya and triggered several criminal cases.
The police and district administration also invoked Gangsters Act against Pathak and other accused and attached their properties. According to officials, properties worth around Rs 36.15 crore belonging to Kamlesh Pathak, Rs 9.75 crore belonging to Santosh Pathak and Rs 7.51 crore belonging to Ramu Pathak were seized.
The trial continued for nearly six years. The prosecution examined 32 witnesses, while the defence produced 39 witnesses. One other accused, a minor at the time, was facing proceedings separately before the juvenile justice board.
In a separate case arising from an alleged attack on police personnel during the same sequence of events, the court acquitted six accused - Satyendra Mishra alias Dabbu, Rajendra Kumar Bajpai, Ramchandra Mishra, Alok Chaturvedi, Shubham Dubey and Hargovind alias Guddu. Another accused, Ravi Chaturvedi, died during the trial....
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