Hyderabad: Twenty one persons were on Wednesday sentenced to life imprisonment by a court in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh in connection with the sensational murder of TDP leader Palegar Kappatralla Venkatappa Naidu and 10 others in May 2008.
The Sessions court in Adoni town of Kurnool acquitted 25 others in the case.
Forty-six persons figured in the accused list, a senior police officer said.
"The court convicted 21 persons out of which three convicts died during trial and one convict Diwakar Naidu is absconding," Deputy Superintendent of Police, Adoni (Sub- Division) B R Sreenivasulu told PTI.
Prime accused Madduleti Naidu and Varam Padmakka were among those who were convicted, another police officer said, adding after the court verdict, 17 convicted persons were taken into custody.
On May 17, 2008 the killers rammed an empty truck at high speed into the jeep in which Venkatappa Naidu was travelling towards Kurnool even as some men waiting at the spot hurled crude bombs at the TDP leader and later attacked them with sickles. His police gunman Ramudu, driver Chenna Kesavulu, and his nephew Sivasankar Naidu and others were also killed in the incident.
Venkatappa Naidu was closely associated with Telugu Desam Party leader KE Krishna Murthy and had survived 12 attacks on his life by his rivals which were a result of factional violence in the district.
