Indus Valley Times

RANCHI, DEC 14: A special MP-MLA Court sentenced five years of imprisonment to the Jharkhand Congress MLA Mamta Devi, here on Tuesday, in connection with Inland Power Limited’s open firing case that occurred six years ago at Gola in Ramgarh.

 “Mamta Devi has been awarded two years of rigorous imprisonment (RI) under section 148, two years under section 332, five years under 333, and five years under section 307 of IPC. She has also been slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 each under sections 333 and 307,” said Aatmaram Chaudhary, an advocate from the prosecution side. Since all the sentences will go on concurrently, hence, she will have to undergo five years of imprisonment, he added.

“The special MP-MLA Court of Additional District and Sessions Judge-4 Pawan Kumar, after hearing both sides on the point of quantum of punishment, awarded two years of rigorous imprisonment under section 148, two years of RI under section 332, five years of RI under section 333 and five years of RI under section 307 along with Rs 10, 000 fine to all the accused persons. Rajeev Jaiswal, who was also convicted in the 27 Arms Act, has been sentenced additional five years and slapped with a fine of Rs 10,000,” he further added.

Other accused persons who were also sentenced along with Mamta Devi are – Manoj Kujhar, Raju Sao, Dildar Hussain, Adil Inami, Abhishek Soni, Rajeev Jaiswal and Baleshwar Bhagat.

“In case one fails to pay the fine amount, he will have to undergo imprisonment for additional 6 months,” said the advocate. All the convicted persons have been awarded concurrent punishment by the court, he added.

Amid the sentencing, Mamta will lose her assembly membership, said Legal experts.

“As per the 2013 Supreme Court ruling, the moment a public representative is awarded the punishment of more than 2 years, he or she is automatically disqualified from the Assembly membership. In this case also, since Mamta Devi has been awarded RI of five years, she lost her Assembly membership,” said former Advocate General of Jharkhand High Court, Ajit Kumar.

Mamta Devi, becomes the second MLA from the Congress party to lose Assembly membership after Bandhu Tirkey. Mandar legislator Bandhu Tirkey had also been disqualified as a member of the Jharkhand legislative assembly after being sentenced by a special CBI court in Ranchi on March 28 for amassing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income during his first stint as MLA between 2005 and 2009.

Tirkey had served as the Education Minister in the then Madhu Koda government. Mamta Devi, along with 12 other accused persons, was convicted by an MP-MLA court in Hazaribagh on Thursday.

Notably, in August 2016, the villagers were staging a dharna led by Mamta Devi, demanding the closure of Inland Power Limited in Gola during which the crowd got violent, and the police had to open fire to protect themselves resulting in the killing of 2 persons while several others were left injured, including the Circle Officer, Block Development Officer, officer-in-charge of Rajrappa Police Station, and several other policemen.

An FIR (29/2016) was lodged against Mamta Devi, local firebrand leader RajeevM Jaiswal and several others at Rajrappa Police Station following a complaint lodged by the then Block Development Officer Dinesh Prasad Suri.

-TNIE