Daijiworld Media Network -  Kozhikode (SP)

Kozhikode, Jan 17: The speial court which conducted hearing into the infamous Marad Massacre case in which nine  people had lost their lives and several were injured in Maya 2003, sentenced 62 of the 63 persons  it has earlier held guilty, to life sentence. The lone remaining accused has been sentenced to five years of imprisonment under the Religious Institutions (prevention of misuse) Act along with a fine of Rs 2,000.

Judge of the additional sessions court Babu Mathew P Joseph announced the verdict on Thursday January 15.

Out of the 62 who have been awarded life sentence, 13 are facing charges of killing two people while one is charged with murdering three persons. Others were punished for either murder or attempt to murder.

The court refused to entertain the plea of the prosecution to consider the case as the 'rarest of the rare'. If this plea had been upheld, the guilty would have faced death sentence.

Out of the 139 persons against whom charge sheets had been filed, 76 were acquitted earlier by the court for want of sufficient evidence.