<p>A division bench comprising justices K K Mishra and D V Sharma, while commuting the death sentence given to Pawan Mittal alias Monu Mittal by the lower court, upheld life sentences to five other accused.<br /><br />The court, however, acquitted two others—Harish Mishra and Sanjiv Awasthi—for lack of evidence.<br /><br />Contention rejected<br /><br />In its judgment, the court rejected the lower court contention that the case fell in the category of “rarest of the rare case” and that Monu Mittal deserved capital punishment.<br /><br />Indian Institute of Management -Lucknow spokesman Siddharth Jindal, while reacting to the verdict, said it was “disappointing.”<br /><br />A court in Lakhimpur-Kheri district in March 2007 sentenced to death petrol pump owner Pawan Mittal, the main accused while seven other accused were given life imprisonment.<br /><br />Manjunath, an Indian Institute of Management Lucknow graduate, was shot dead at a petrol pump at Gola in Lakhimpur Kheri district after he threatened to cancel Mittal’s licence for selling spurious fuel.<br /><br />Convicted<br /><br />Besides Mittal, the others convicted were Devesh Agnihotri, Sanjay Awasthi, Rakesh Anand, Shivkesh Giri, Rajesh Verma, Harish Mishra and Vivek Sharma.<br /><br />The killing of Manjunath had evoked a sharp reaction from the industry, Indian Institute of Management students and alumni and social organisations, which had demanded stern punishment for the guilty.<br /><br />A day after his murder, Manjunath’s body was recovered from a car at Maholi in neighbouring Sitapur district. <br /><br />Rakesh Anand and Vivek Sharma, who had gone to Sitapur to dispose of the body, were caught there.<br /></p>
<p>A division bench comprising justices K K Mishra and D V Sharma, while commuting the death sentence given to Pawan Mittal alias Monu Mittal by the lower court, upheld life sentences to five other accused.<br /><br />The court, however, acquitted two others—Harish Mishra and Sanjiv Awasthi—for lack of evidence.<br /><br />Contention rejected<br /><br />In its judgment, the court rejected the lower court contention that the case fell in the category of “rarest of the rare case” and that Monu Mittal deserved capital punishment.<br /><br />Indian Institute of Management -Lucknow spokesman Siddharth Jindal, while reacting to the verdict, said it was “disappointing.”<br /><br />A court in Lakhimpur-Kheri district in March 2007 sentenced to death petrol pump owner Pawan Mittal, the main accused while seven other accused were given life imprisonment.<br /><br />Manjunath, an Indian Institute of Management Lucknow graduate, was shot dead at a petrol pump at Gola in Lakhimpur Kheri district after he threatened to cancel Mittal’s licence for selling spurious fuel.<br /><br />Convicted<br /><br />Besides Mittal, the others convicted were Devesh Agnihotri, Sanjay Awasthi, Rakesh Anand, Shivkesh Giri, Rajesh Verma, Harish Mishra and Vivek Sharma.<br /><br />The killing of Manjunath had evoked a sharp reaction from the industry, Indian Institute of Management students and alumni and social organisations, which had demanded stern punishment for the guilty.<br /><br />A day after his murder, Manjunath’s body was recovered from a car at Maholi in neighbouring Sitapur district. <br /><br />Rakesh Anand and Vivek Sharma, who had gone to Sitapur to dispose of the body, were caught there.<br /></p>
