A special CBI court in Lucknow on Friday convicted seven people in the killing of the then BSP MLA Raju Pal in 2005, a case in which murdered gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmad was also an accused, and sentenced six of them to life imprisonment, officials said.

The proceedings against Atiq Ahmad, his brother and prime accused Khalid Azim alias Ashraf, and Gulful alias Rafiq were abated after their death, they said.

Special CBI Judge Kavita Mishra held Ranjeet Pal, Abid, Farhan Ahmad, Israr Ahmad, Javed, Gulhasan, and Abdul Kavi guilty in the case for criminal conspiracy and murder among other serious charges.

Barring Israr Ahmad who remained absent during the hearing, all were sentenced to life imprisonment along with a total fine of Rs 11.65 lakh.

"During the argument on quantum of punishment, accused Israr Ahmad remained absent, therefore, the Ld. Court issued NBW against him and quantum of sentence pertaining to him was deferred to the time of his presence before the court," the CBI spokesperson said here.

Accused Farhan Ahmad was additionally held guilty under the Arms Act, he said.

Raju Pal, the then MLA from Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh and a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader, and his two associates -- Devi Din Pal and Sandeep Yadav -- were gunned down on January 25, 2005 at 3 PM in Dhoomanganj area, as a result of political rivalry with Atiq Ahmad's brother Ashraf, whom he had defeated in the 2004 bypoll to the Prayagraj West seat.

Pal's vehicle was stopped by seven to eight gang members led by Ashraf Ahmad near Amit Deep Maruti Agency where he was gunned down.

The BSP leader had lost the election to the seat to Atiq Ahmad in 2002 but when the latter vacated it after being elected to the Lok Sabha, Pal defeated Ashraf in the bypoll.

"It was also alleged that the murder was committed at the behest of Atiq Ahmad, then Member of Lok Sabha. UP Police had filed a charge sheet in the case. Later on, the case was transferred to CB-CID, UP, which filed three supplementary charge sheets," the spokesperson said.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had registered the case in 2016 on the orders of the Supreme Court and taken over probe of the FIR earlier registered at Dhoomanganj police station.

"The Apex Court also directed CBI to conduct a de novo investigation in the case and also directed that the trial court shall conclude trial expeditiously," the spokesperson said.

The court had framed the charges on October 20, 2022 against nine accused, he said.

Raju Pal's wife Pooja Pal welcomed the court's judgment but said they should have been sentenced to death.

"I am satisfied with the court's decision. But these accused should have been given the death sentence because an MLA was murdered in broad daylight," she told PTI over phone from Lucknow.

She said along with her husband, two other people were murdered. "This crime is so heinous that the culprits should have been given the death sentence," Pooja Pal said.

On April 15 last year, Atiq Ahmad and his brother Ashraf were killed in a sensational on-camera shooting when assailants opened fire on them near a medical college in Prayagraj while they were in police custody.

The shooting was caught on camera as mediapersons were following the duo being escorted to the hospital by the police for a medical checkup.

At least two people were seen firing from close range at Atiq Ahmad and Ashraf who fell to the ground, while police personnel overpowered the attackers.

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