PTI

Ahmedabad/Mumbai, Mar 28: Nine persons, including prime accused Mustaq Kaniyo, were on Tuesday convicted in a post-Godhra riots case in Danilimda of Ahmedabad where a person was shot dead in April 2002.

Additional Sessions Judge Sonia Gokani sent Mustaq Ahmed Sheikh to 10 years rigorous imprisonment for killing one person and injuring another.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on Mustaq or an additional six months imprisonment. ht other accused --- Mehtabraza Islam Saiyed, Rahim Ibrahim Tharda, Haroon Younis Ganyavni, Haji Mohammed Karim Chipa, Yakub Musa Patel, Mohammed Ajimkhan Pathan, Khurshid, Sagir Ahmed Ansari --- were awarded one-and-a-half years imprisonment and Rs 3,000 fine (or an additional two months imprisonment).

"The eight accused were convicted on various charges including rioting, unlawful assembly, and for possessing weapons," said Nimaben Rajput, an advocate in this case.

Meanwhile, the court gave the benefit of doubt to 25 others and acquitted them.

"The court had examined 22 witnesses in this case, including the injured Ravinder Damor.

Damor, two of his relatives, and the father of the person killed Piyush Mehta had turned hostile in this case," Nimaben said.

"The court gave its judgments based on the eye-witness accounts and other documentary evidence in this case," she added.

The police also recovered two country-made revolvers used in the crime.

The police, on April 12, 2002, had arrested 33 persons for rioting near Ektanagar residential society in Danilimda locality. During the interrogation of the arrested, it was known that the Mustaq Kaniyo had gunned down one Piyush Mehta and injured Ravinder Damor, both residents of Ektanagar.

Police arrested Mustaq on December 18, 2002 and later filed a supplementary charge-sheet.