A special Central Bureau of Investigation court in Lucknow awarded death sentence to three policemen and life term to five others in a 31-year-old fake encounter case in Gonda district in which 13 persons, including a deputy superintendent of police were killed.
Special CBI judge Rajendra Singh awarded death sentence to the then SHO, Kaudia R B Saroj, head constable Ram Nayak and constable Ram Karan holding them responsible for hatching the conspiracy of murder. Those who have been awarded life sentence include the then PAC commandant Ramakant Dixit, sub-inspectors Naseem Ahmad, Mangala Singh, Parvez Hussain and Rajendra Prasad Singh.
The court had on March 29 passed the judgment convicting eight policemen and had fixed April 5 to pronounce the quantum of punishment.
Deputy Superintendent of Police and circle officer K P Singh and 12 other people were killed in the fake encounter in Madhopur village in March 1982. The police initially claimed that Singh was killed by criminals, but his wife Vibha Singh suspected foul play and moved the Supreme Court, which ordered a CBI inquiry.
The CBI filed chargesheet against 19 policemen of which 10 died during the trial.
Later, one policeman Prem Singh was acquitted of the charges.
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