New Delhi, Nov 26 (UNI) The Supreme Court on Tuesday suspended the life imprisonment sentences of Feroz Sidhique and Abhay Goel, two individuals convicted in the 2003 murder case of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ram Avatar Jaggi.
The Court granted bail to the two convicts during the pendency of their appeals, with the terms and conditions to be set by the trial court.
However, the sentence of another convict, Yahya Dhebar, was not suspended. Applications from other convicts seeking similar relief will be heard on December 9.
The case was heard by a bench comprising Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar.
Senior advocates Dr. Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Siddharth Agarwal, and S. Nagamuthu appeared on behalf of some of the applicants.
Earlier this year, in April, the Chhattisgarh High Court upheld the conviction and life imprisonment sentences of 28 individuals in connection with the case.
Ram Avatar Jaggi, the treasurer of the NCP, was shot dead on June 4, 2003, while driving his car.
The murder, which occurred just before the 2003 state assembly election, triggered political turmoil in Chhattisgarh.
The High Court, while upholding the convictions, observed that the murder stemmed from a political rivalry between two leaders from the Congress party.
One of these leaders eventually formed the NCP in Chhattisgarh.
The court remarked that the then Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, Ajit Jogi, allegedly sought to weaken the NCP’s chances of gaining power.
Although Jogi was not made an accused in the case, the trial court had opined that the convicted individuals acted out of loyalty to him and conspired to eliminate Jaggi without his direct involvement,” the Court noted.
Also despite threats, Jaggi continued his political activities, leading to the conspiracy to murder him.
UNI SNG CS1850