New Delhi: Delhi court today convicted 4 persons in 40-year-old case relating to murder of then Railway Minister L N Mishra. All four persons have been convicted for murder under Sec 302 of the IPC.
District Judge (DJ) Vinod Goel convicted the four persons, Ranjan Dwivedi, Santoshananda Avadhuta, Sudevananda Avadhuta and Gopalji for various offences punishable under the IPC, including sections 302 (murder), 120-B (criminal conspiracy), 326 (voluntarily causing grievous hurt by dangerous weapon or means) and 324 (voluntarily causing hurt). The court also held them guilty for offences punishable under the Explosive Substances Act.
“Vide separate detailed judgement, accused Ranjan Dwivedi, Santoshananda Avadhuta, Sudevananda Avadhuta and Gopalji are convicted for offences under sections 120-B, 302, 326, 324, 34 (common intention) of the IPC,” the judge said. The court has fixed December 15 for hearing the arguments on quantum of sentence in the case. They will either get life term or death penalty. All of them were out on bail in this case.
“All these accused be taken in custody,” the court said, adding, “Now to come up for hearing on quantum of sentence on December 15.”
Lawyers for the four convicts, who were present in the court and appeared devastated, said they will appeal against the court order.
As railway minister, Mishra had gone to Samastipur Jan 2, 1975, to inaugurate the Samastipur-Muzaffarpur broad-gauge railway line, when he was injured in a bomb explosion. He was rushed to the railway hospital at Danapur where he died the following day.
Over 200 witnesses, including 161 prosecution witnesses and more than 40 defence witnesses, were examined in the case. Advocate Ranjan Dwivedi, who was 24-year-old at that time and the youngest among the four, was named as an accused in the case along with four Ananda Marga group members, one of whom has died.
The charge sheet in the case was filed on November 1, 1977 in a CBI court in Patna. The case was shifted to Delhi in 1979 on a plea by the then Attorney General to the Supreme Court.
The charges against the accused were framed in 1981.
