Justice for Manjunath, 8 held guilty : HindustanTimes.com

Justice for Manjunath, 8 held guilty : HindustanTimes.com


Justice for Manjunath, 8 held guilty
DK Pandey

Lakhimpur Kheri (UP), March 23, 2007


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All the eight accused in the murder of Indian Oil sales manager S Manjunath were on Friday held guilty of a murder conspiracy by a district court.Manjunath, an IIM-Lucknow graduate, was killed on November 19, 2005 after he threatened to revoke the licence of a petrol pump owner for selling adulterated fuel.

The sensational murder had evoked sharp reactions from industry, IIM students and alumni across the country, and social groups who demanded stern punishment for the guilty.

Delivering the verdict, district and sessions judge SMA Abidi told a packed court in a 58-page order that the quantum of the punishment would be pronounced on Monday after hearing arguments of the defence and the prosecution.

Welcoming the decision, Chandra Mohan Singh, district government counsel (DGC), Lakhimpur Kheri, who appeared for the prosecution, told the Hindustan Times that all the eight accused — Pawan alias Monu Mittal, Devesh Agnihotri, Sanjay Awasthi, Rakesh Anand, Shivkesh Giri alias Lalla Giri, Harish Mishra, Vivek Sharma and Rajesh Verma — were held guilty under various sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Arms Act.

Manjunath's mother told Hindustan Times from Kolar near Bangalore that though the family welcomed the verdict, nothing short of capital punishment for their son's killers would satisfy them.

IIM-alumni and volunteers of the Manjunath Shanmugam Trust said the judgment would prove a deterrent to those who attempted to silence honesty and sincerity.