BAHRAICH, Dec. 12 -- The court of additional sessions judge (I) Pawan Kumar Sharma on Thursday awarded the death penalty to one convict and rigorous life imprisonment to nine others for the murder of 28-year-old Ram Gopal Mishra during communal violence that broke out amid the Durga idol immersion in Maharajganj Bazaar under Hardi police station limits on October 13, 2024. The court also imposed a fine of Rs.1 lakh on each convict.

The death sentence was handed to Mohammad Sarfaraz Ahmed alias Rinku, additional district government counsel (criminal) Pramod Kumar Singh said, adding that the case was prosecuted effectively, leading to a verdict within 13 months and 28 days.

"The weapon used in the murder was recovered from Sarfaraz, which...