2009 hooch deaths: Six convicted, main accused get 10 years in jail

A sessions court here Saturday awarded six persons jail terms ranging from six months to ten years in the 2009 hooch tragedy case in Ahmedabad in which 123 persons had died.

Additional sessions judge D P Mahida awarded ten years' imprisonment to the main accused Jayesh Thakkar and Vinod Dagri, and imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 each on them.

Ghanshyam alias Behra was awarded seven years' jail term. A fourth accused was sentenced to two years in jail, while two others were sentenced to six months' jail term.

Between July 5 and 7, 2009, 148 persons died here after drinking spurious liquor. It was one of the worst hooch tragedies in Gujarat, which is a dry state.

Two cases were registered, one at Kagdapith Police Station and another at Odhav Police Station. Nine accused were common in both the cases. The present case was the one registered at Odhav police station.

The accused were booked under IPC section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and relevant sections of the Prohibition Act.

The court had recently sentenced Thakkar and Dagri to ten years' imprisonment in the other First Information Report registered at Kagdapith police station.

The court Saturday found Dagri guilty of manufacturing the deadly brew and Thakkar of supplying the chemicals which were mixed in it.

Of the total 39 accused, two are absconding while 31 others were acquitted for want of evidence.