New Delhi, Feb 23: Almost 18 years after Congress MP Lalit Maken and his wife Geetanjali were killed at their Kirti Nagar residence here in broad daylight, a Delhi court has convicted a Sikh militant for the murders. Additional Sessions Judge (ASJ) R K Jain, who held accused Ranjit Singh Gill guilty under Section 302 (murder) and Section 307 (attempt to murder), would pronounce the order on sentence tomorrow. The heavily-armed militants had barged into the residence of the Makens and gunned down Geetanjali, daughter of former president Dr Shankar Dayal Sharma, her husband and one Bal Kishan on July 31, 1985. Another person Suresh Malik was also injured in the firing.

Gill is one of the five accused chargesheeted in the case. Out of the other four accused - Harjinder Singh Zinda and Sukhdev Singh alias Sukkha --were executed in 1992 for the assassination of General A S Vaidya while accused Sukhwinder Singh was killed in an encounter with the security forces.

Accused Daljit Singh was acquitted in the case in 1999 for want of evidence.

According to the chargesheet, Gill and other terrorists belonging to Bhindaranwale tigers force of Khalistan were motivated by a book - "who are the guilty" - that allegedly talked of Maken's involvement in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots that broke out in the capital following the assassination of the then prime minister Indira Gandhi.

Gill, who had fled to the us after committing the crime, was brought here by a joint team of CBI and Delhi Police in May 2000 and he was facing trial in the court of ASJ Jain since then.
Bureau Report