Mumbai, Oct 7 (PTI) A special court in Mumbai on Tuesday convicted two former policemen in connection with the custodial death of a house break-in suspect in 2009 and sentenced them to seven years in jail, but absolved them of murder charge.
Special judge A V Gujarathi, presiding over Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) cases, convicted then sub-inspector at Mumbai’s Ghatkopar police station, Sanjay Khedekar, and then head constable Raghunath Kolekar under charges of causing hurt and wrongful confinement.
The judge, however, acquitted the duo of more grievous murder charge in the 16-year-old case.
The court sentenced Khedekar and Kolekar to seven years in jail, but suspended the prison term till November 7 to allow the duo, currently out on bail, to file an appeal before the Bombay High Court.
The case against the third accused policeman, Sayaji Thombre, was abated as he died during the trial.
Former policemen Khedekar and Kolekar were convicted under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 342 (wrongful confinement), 330 (causing hurt to extort confession, and 120(b) (criminal conspiracy).
“The accused are acquitted under section 302 (murder) read with 120 (b) (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code,” the court said.
A detailed copy of the judgment was not available yet.
The victim, Altaf Shaikh, an alleged drug addict and a history-sheeter, died in the Ghatkopar police station on September 11, 2009. The 22-year-old died within hours of being picked up by police as a suspect in a case of house break-in.
The case was transferred to the CBI after Shaikh’s mother approached the High Court. PTI SP RSY
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