Zeenews Bureau
Lucknow: The Lucknow bench of Allahabad High Court on Friday sentenced Bahujan Samaj party (BSP) MLA from Auraiya, Shekhar Tiwari to life imprisonment in 2008 engineer Manoj Gupta murder case. Gupta had reportedly refused to pay donations for Chief Minister Mayawati`s
birthday celebrations.
The court also awarded life sentences to nine other convicted in the case including three policemen. Besides, Tiwari`s wife, Vibha, has been given two-and-a-half years of rigorous imprisonment.
The court imposed a fine of Rs 68,000 each on all the 10 convicts besides slapping a fine of Rs 4500 on Vibha.
PWD engineer Gupta was murdered on December 24, 2008, by BSP MLA Shekhar Tiwari and his henchmen after he refused to pay him money to be spent on UP Chief Minister Mayawati’s birthday.
An FIR in this regard was registered by slain engineer`s wife Shashi Gutpa in Dibiyapur police station of Auraiya.
Besides, MLA Tiwari and his wife Vibha Tiwari, others who were convicted in the case are- Vinay Tiwari, Rambabu alias Putti, Yogendra Dohre alias Bhatia, Manoj Awasthi, Devendra Rajput, Santosh Tiwari, Gajraj Singh, Pal Singh, former SHO Dibiyapur Hoshiyar Singh.
The MLA and nine others were found guilty under sections 302 (murder), 364 (abduction), 342 (wrongful confinement) and section 7 Criminal Law Amendment Act while the MLA`s wife Vibha was charged under section 201 (hiding
evidence) and section 342 (wrongful confinement).
