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28 convicted of killing Chandan Gupta during Tringa Yatra in Kasganj

A special NIA court will pronounce the quantum of punishment tomorrow (January 3).

Statesman News Service | Lucknow | January 2, 2025 4:32 pm

28 convicted of killing Chandan Gupta during Tringa Yatra in Kasganj

Representational image (Photo: IStock)

A special NIA court has convicted 28 in the killing of a youth, Chandan Gupta, during Tringa Yatra in Kasganj on January 26, 2018.

Chandan Gupta was killed when he was taking out a Tringa Yatra along with some youths on the Republic Day in Kasganj city.

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Special Additional District and Session Judge Vivekanand Sharan Tripathi, while convicting the 28 accused on Thursday, aquitted two others for insufficient evidence against them.

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The court will pronounce the quantum of punishment tomorrow. The 28 accused have been convicted under Section 302, 307, 147, 124( A) of the IPC along with Prevention of Insult to National Honour Act and the CLA Act.

The killing of Gupta took place in the aftermath of the clashes that broke out when around 100 members of the VHP, ABVP, and Hindu Yuva Vahini were passing through the minority-dominated Baddunagar locality on motorbikes with Indian and saffron flags. Following the violence, a week-long curfew was clamped on the area.

Initially, the trial was moving at a slow pace. But later, the case was shifted to Lucknow.

The Kasganj Police filed the chargesheet in the case  in July 2018.

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The Kerala High Court, on Thursday, granted bail to M K Nasar, one of the individuals convicted by the special NIA court last year in the case of chopping the hands of Professor T J Joseph in 2010. A division bench comprising Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan and Justice P V Balakrishnan suspended Nasar’s sentence and granted conditional bail to him after considering his appeal against the NIA court’s conviction in the case Considering the prolonged detention and citing the potential for trial delays, the court suspended Nasar’s sentence and granted conditional bail, taking into account that some co-accused with similar allegations had already been released after serving shorter terms. The court noted that he had already spent nine years in jail and that delays in resolving appeals could justify suspending a convict’s prison term. It also observed that other accused in the case had received lesser sentences and had already been released after serving their terms. “The applicant has been undergoing incarceration, at the pre-conviction and post-conviction phases, for over 9 years. Furthermore, the fact that the accused facing the same allegations were earlier imposed a lesser term of imprisonment and have been released after having undergone the sentence is a factor that cannot be ignored. Additionally, the appeals filed by the NIA against the findings of the learned Sessions Judge are being considered in separate appeals, which have not yet been taken up. “There is also the likelihood of delay, as the prime accused has surrendered, and the learned Sessions Judge may have to take up the trial and dispose of it in accordance with the law and some of the original records may be required for that purpose. In view of these facts and circumstances, we are of the considered opinion that the sentence imposed on the applicant can be suspended pending the consideration of the appeal.” The court said The court, however, imposed strict conditions for Nasar’s bail. He is not supposed to provide a bond of Rs 1 lakh with two sureties, refrain from leaving the country without the court’s permission, avoid interfering with the trial or witnesses, and not commit similar offences while on bail The gruesome incident dates back to July 4, 2010, when Joseph, a professor at Newman College, Thodupuzha, was returning from Sunday mass with his family, members of the now-banned Popular Front of India (PFI) attacked him, allegedly in retaliation for a question paper he set, which contained a passage that they claimed insulted Prophet Mohammed was derogatory. His right hand was chopped off in this attack. Nasar was accused of playing a critical role in the attack. Investigations revealed his involvement in recruiting gang members, assigning specific tasks, collecting funds, procuring communication devices, and maintaining communication links with key conspirators.

The Kerala High Court, on Thursday, granted bail to M K Nasar, one of the individuals convicted by the special NIA court last year in the case of chopping the hands of Professor T J Joseph in 2010.