Haren Pandya murder case: SC upholds conviction of seven accused

The Supreme Court on Friday upheld the conviction of seven accused in the murder case of former Gujarat Home Minister Haren Pandya in 2003.

The bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, which was hearing an appeal filed by the CBI and the Gujarat government against the acquittal of the accused in the case, upheld the conviction of the accused.

The apex court had, in January this year, reserved the verdict on the appeals filed by the probe agency and the Gujarat government in the year 2011 against the acquittal of 12 accused by the Gujarat High Court.

The high court, in its judgment, while acquitting the accused of the murder charges, had convicted them under the section 120 (criminal conspiracy), 307 (attempt to murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and various offences under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (POTA).

In March 2003, Pandya was shot dead by two unidentified assailants during his morning walk near Law Garden in Ahmedabad.