Asia-Pacific

Indian legislator, 9 others get life sentence for murder

(Agencies)
Updated: 2011-05-07 07:59

NEW DELHI - An Indian court Friday sentenced a legislator and nine others for killing a government engineer in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh three years ago, an official said.

"The trial court sentenced the state's ruling BSP party legislator, Shekhar Tiwari, and nine others for murdering state government engineer Manoj Kumar Gupta after he refused to pay donations for Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati's birthday celebrations in 2008. The legislator's wife was also sent to two- and-a-half years in jail for destroying evidence," the official said pleading anonymity.

The court imposed a fine of 68,000 rupees (about $1,500) each on all the 10 convicts besides slapping a fine of 4, 500 rupees ($100) on the legislator's wife, he said.

Gupta, an executive engineer in Auraiya, was murdered on the night of December 24, 2008, by Tiwari and his henchmen who then dumped the body outside a police station.