All the nine accused in the sensational Safdar Hashmi murder case were sentenced to life imprisonment on Wednesday.
Fourth Additional District Judge C D Rai awarded life sentences to Mukesh Sharma, Devi Sharan Sharma, Jitender, Ram Avtar, Vinod, Yunus Ali, Tahir Hussein, Ramesh and Karan Singh under Section 302 of the IPC for killing Hashmi, a noted theatre personality, and a Communist Party of India (Marxist) activist, Ram Bahadur, in 1989 in Jhandapur in Sahibabad.
Rediff Special: Safdar Hashmi: Fighting till the end
Hashmi, a leading light of Jana Natya Manch, was enacting a play Halla Bol in support of CPI-M candidate Ramnath Jha in Ghaziabad municipal elections when he was killed by Sharma and his associates.
Sharma, an independent candidate in the election, was Jha's main rival.
Reacting to the judgement, Hashmi's wife, Moloyshree, said: "This is a victory for justice. This is not just a legal victory, but a victory for the artistes and common people who supported us. It is true that the case was fought in the courts and these things are not taken into account. But it is a proof of the support we got," she said.
"There are many people in our country who spend their lives waiting for justice. In this case at least, justice was done," Moloyshree said.