11 convicted, 17 acquitted in Kandhamal riot case
January 30th, 2010 - 9:57 pm ICT by IANSBhubaneswar, Jan 30 (IANS) A court in Orissa Saturday convicted 11 people and let off 17 others in a 2008 case of rioting in Kandhamal district.
“Eleven people have been convicted and 17 others have been let off for want of evidence against them,” P.K. Patra, the public prosecutor, told IANS.
Fast track court-I judge Subhendu Das sentenced the 11 convicted to five years imprisonment and fined them Rs.2,000 each for torching the house of Gugula Das in Sorangada village Sep 18, 2008.
If the convicts fail to pay the fine they will have to spend an additional three months in jail, the court ordered.
Kandhamal district, about 200 km from here, witnessed widespread violence after the murder of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati and four of his aides at his ashram Aug 23, 2008.
More than 25,000 Christians were forced to flee their homes after their houses were attacked by rampaging mobs that held Christians responsible for Saraswati’s killing, although police blamed the Maoists.
The government has set up two fast track courts to try cases related to the communal violence.
- 13 convicted, 35 acquitted in three Kandhamal riot cases (Lead) - Jan 31, 2010
- Nine get jail, one acquitted in Kandhamal riots case - Mar 16, 2010
- On Christmas eve, three convicted, 26 let off for Kandhamal - Dec 25, 2009
- 52 acquitted in eight Kandhamal riot cases - Feb 28, 2010
- Seventeen acquitted in a Kandhamal riot case - Apr 17, 2010
- 8 get three-year jail in Kandhamal riots case - Sep 25, 2010
- Nine convicted, five acquitted in Kandhamal riots case - Nov 18, 2009
- One held guilty in Kandhamal riot case - Nov 30, 2009
- Five convicted in a Kandhamal riot case - Dec 12, 2009
- Three more convicted for Kandhamal riots - Dec 24, 2009
- BJP lawmaker gets seven-year jail for Kandhamal murder - Jun 29, 2010
- One gets four-year jail in Kandhamal riots case - Jan 29, 2010
- Two convicted, 10 acquitted in Kandhamal riots cases - Apr 01, 2010
- BJP lawmaker gets jail for murder in Kandhamal riots - Sep 09, 2010
- 12 convicted, two let off in Kandhamal riot case - Nov 28, 2009
Tags: aides, ashram, christians, communal violence, convicts, fast track, imprisonment, maoists, mobs, orissa, public prosecutor, riot, rs 2, saraswati, swami, three months, vishwa hindu parishad