Jhansi: A Jhansi court on Saturday sentenced eight convicts to life imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 1.75 lakh each in an eight-year-old sensational firing case that occurred in broad daylight near the district court. The incident, which took place just a few hundred metres from the court premises, had left one person dead and several others injured.During the final hearing on Friday, additional district and sessions judge/special judge Anubhav Dwivedi acquitted eight others due to lack of evidence. The convicts had been brought to the court from 12 different jails a day before the sentencing, while three accused attended the proceedings through video conferencing and one appeared while on bail.According to additional district govt counsel Devendra Panchal, those convicted are Rinku Gaida (45), Bobby Gaida (40), Sonu Gaida (48), Rajendra Gurjar (38), Prahlad Gurjar (33), Udham Gurjar (32), Bhupendra Gurjar (35) and Kamlesh Yadav (50).The court acquitted Sardar Singh Gurjar, Rao Raja, Bharat Singh, Sanam Dagar, Gaurav alias Monty, Sagar Rana, Nitesh Patwari and Rohit alias Rohitash due to lack of evidence. However, except Rohitash, others will remain in jail in connection with other criminal cases pending against them.The shootout occurred on the afternoon of July 21, 2018, when land developer Sanjay Verma was returning from a hearing at the Jhansi district court along with his son Sanchit, two bodyguards and a driver. The hearing pertained to an earlier murder case in which members of both rival groups were involved.According to the prosecution, as Verma’s SUV reached near Kacheri Chauraha, barely a few hundred metres from the district court, the accused, who had allegedly been lying in wait, opened indiscriminate fire on the vehicle. After the attack, they fled on two-wheelers, allegedly warning Verma against testifying against them in court.All the victims were rushed to the Jhansi Medical College, where one of Verma’s bodyguards, Jai Goswami, succumbed to his injuries.During the investigation, police booked all 16 accused under IPC Sections 148, 149, 302, 307 and 120B for rioting, murder, attempt to murder and criminal conspiracy. During the trial, the accused were lodged in different jails across Uttar Pradesh and neighbouring states.Police said the attack was the latest chapter in a decades-old land dispute between Sanjay Verma and Sardar Singh. The rivalry dates back to 2004, when Sardar Singh’s nephew, Chandrashekhar, was shot dead in connection with a land dispute. In an alleged retaliatory attack two years later, Verma’s brother Ajay was gunned down in broad daylight while sitting at his jewellery shop in Sarafa Bazar.Sardar Singh, Rao Raja and their associates were later convicted in Ajay Verma’s murder and are currently serving life imprisonment in that case.
