A special MP/MLA court in Uttar Pradesh sentenced BJP MLA Vikram Saini and 10 others to two years imprisonment on Tuesday in a case related to the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, The Indian Express reported. One more accused was sentenced to one-year imprisonment under the Arms Act.
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All 12, including the MLA, were later granted bail on furnishing two sureties each of Rs 25,000, government counsel Narendra Sharma said. Fifteen others were acquitted in the case for lack of evidence, Sharma added. Saini’s lawyer Bharatveer Ahlawat said that all the accused were acquitted from charges of attempt to murder and that an appeal will be filed against the judgment.
The 12 were convicted under Sections 336 (act endangering life or personal safety of others), 353 (Assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharging his duty), 147 (rioting), 148 (rioting armed with deadly weapons), and 149 (unlawful assembly) of the Indian Penal Act. The Khatauli MLA was also booked under the National Security Act (NSA), according to a PTI report. Saini and 26 others are facing trial for the alleged role in the Kawal village violence in Muzzafarnagar when the crowd was returning after cremating two Jat youths.
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In 2013, the killing of three men – Gaurav, Sachin and Shahnawaz – at Kawaal town in Muzaffarnagar, triggered communal riots in the area and adjoining districts, which led to the death of 62 people and over 60,000 people were displaced, as per IE report.
