The district judicial court in Assam’s Chirang district on Wednesday awarded rigorous life imprisonment to all 20 men, accused in a murder case.

The 20 were convicted for murdering four persons of a family in revenge for a murder of a relative in 2000.

Nazrul Haque’s mother, Jarina Khatun, sister-in-law Somorto Begum, nephew Surman Ali and maternal uncle Nur Mahammad were killed and their house set on fire on December 2 that year around 5pm at Baikhungaon under Dhaligaon police station in Chirang district, said public prosecutor Daniel Das, who is fighting the case on behalf of the complainant.

Haque, who was not present at home during the attack, had filed a report at Dhaligaon police station the next day on the basis of which the police registered case no. 83/2000 under Sections 302 and 436 of the IPC.

The court’s district and sessions judge, Dibyajyoti Mahanta, while pronouncing the verdict, convicted the accused under Section 302 IPC (murder) with a fine of Rs 10,000 each, failing which he will have to undergo simple imprisonment for one year, 10-year rigorous imprisonment under 436 IPC (arson) with a fine of Rs 5,000 each, failing which he will have to spend another six months in jail.

A simple imprisonment for one year, two years and two months have been added in the sentence under sections 147 (rioting), 148 (armed with deadly weapon) and 448 (trespass) of IPC respectively after hearing the 18 witnesses who were present on Wednesday in favour of the complainant.

All the sentences will continue concurrently, Das said.

The convicts can appeal in higher courts against the judgment, Das said.

The convicts were taken to Kokrajhar jail by a bus from the Chirang district court at Kajalgaon on Wednesday. Kokrajhar is 65km from Kajalgaon.