Phulbani (Odisha):  Eight persons, including a Maoist leader, were today sentenced to rigorous life imprisonment by a court in Kandhamal district for the murder of senior VHP leader Laxmanananda Saraswati and four others in 2008 that triggered communal violence leaving 37 dead.

Additional District Judge Rajendra Kumar Tosh, who had earlier convicted the eight persons, also imposed Rs 10,000 fine on each of them while pronouncing the quantum of punishment amid tight security in the communally sensitive district.

In case of inability to pay the penalty, the convicts would have to undergo an additional jail term of 18 months, Public Prosecutor Anil Kumar Pradhan said.