Nilesh Rayani murder: Life sentence for BJP MLA

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Gondal, Jayrajsinh Jadeja, has been awarded life imprisonment by the Gujarat High Court in the Nilesh Rayani murder case, which took place in Rajkot on February 8, 2004.

The two other accused Mahendra Sinh Rana and Amarjeet Sinh, close aides of Jadeja have also been sentenced to life in connection with the same case.

Vikramsinh Rana, a close aide of Jadeja, was killed in 2003 at Gondal following a dispute over the 35-acre estate of the erstwhile royal family of Gondal in Rajkot district.

Within two months after Rana was stabbed to death, Rayani one of the accused in the case fired two shots by Jadeja. Later, the other accused assaulted him with sharp weapons resulting in Raiyani's death.

Couple of months later, in 2004, four sharpshooters killed BJP Rajkot district youth president Vinu Singala at point blank range at his home in Rajkot.

Rayani was a close aide of Singala. Jadeja was an accused in this case and was acquitted last year.