A court in Jharkhand’s Seraikela-Kharswan district on Wednesday sentenced 10 people to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment in the Tabrez Ansari lynching case of June 2019.
The accused were given a 10-year sentence under Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The court has also imposed a fine of Rs 15,000 each on the convicts.
Earlier on June 27, the court had convicted the 10 accused and public prosecutor Ashok Kumar Rai had said the quantum of punishment in the case would be pronounced on July 5.
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One of the accused, Kushal Mahali, had died during the course of the trial, Rai told PTI, adding that two others were acquitted for lack of evidence.
The convicted persons – Bhim Singh Munda, Kamal Mahato, Madan Nayak, Atul Mahali, Sunamo Pradhan, Vikram Mandal, Chamu Nayak, Prem Chand Mahali, Mahesh Mahali – were taken into custody soon after they were convicted by the court of Additional District Judge-I Amit Shekhar, PTI reported.
Meanwhile, the prime accused, Prakash Mandal alias Pappu Mandal, is already in judicial custody.
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Ansari, who was beaten up with rods over alleged theft, was lynched in Dhatkidih village under Seraikela police station on June 17, 2019. He worked as a labourer and welder in Pune, had come home to celebrate Eid when he was killed over suspicion of trying to steal a motorcycle.