Nagpur: Two top Naxal leaders, arrested by Mumbai ATS in 2007, were on Tuesday found guilty of unlawful activities by a local court and given jail terms.
Vernon Stanlase Gonsalves alias Vikram (50) and Srinivasan Krishnan alias Vishnu (50) were sentenced to imprisonment of five and six years respectively.
Co-accused Angela Sontakke was acquitted.
They were facing a case under Arms Act, Indian Explosives Act, Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and Indian Penal Code.
After the arrest, they were brought to Chandrapur for investigation, and later tried at the special court here.
District and Additional Sessions Judge P M Dunedar convicted the two for unlawful activity and carrying arms and explosives.
On August 19, 2007, police arrested Shridhar and Vernon from suburban Govandi in Mumbai for links with Naxal movement. Two firearms, gelatin sticks and detonators were recovered from them, along with Naxal literature.
Vernon and his wife Susan Abraham had worked among tribals in Chandrapur area between 1984 and 1994. Susan came back to Mumbai in 1994 after she gave birth to a son.
According to police, Srinivasan was a national politburo member of Communist Party of India-Marxist-Leninist (CPI-ML) and Gonsalves was a top state-level leader of the banned outfit.
PTI
