A local court sentenced seven convicts, including Baijnath Mahato, the brother of Minister Jagarnath Mahato, to life imprisonment in a murder case on Tuesday. 

The court has also imposed a penalty of Rs 10,000 on the killers.  Significantly, 25-year-old Santosh was beaten by people in a public court, due to which he died.

According to the FIR lodged in this case Santosh Pandey, a resident of Alargo village of Nawadih police station area, used to give tuition to a girl. Santosh was also a teacher in the tribal Shishu Mandir of Bhandaridah. 

While giving tuition, Santosh and the girl started liking each other. Before the family and society felt inking, Santosh ran to Chennai with the girl.

While the girl's family got the information of both of them being in Chennai and recovered both of them there and brought them back to the village.  Santosh had told before dying that he had taken her there at the insistence of the girlfriend.  Those who went to Chennai to fetch them from the village, tortured them on the way and his girlfriend was taken off the car and sent to a relative's house before reaching the village.

On the complaint of Anant Lal Pandey, elder brother of Santosh, a case was registered under Nawadih police station no. 55/2014.  According to Anant, Santosh Pandey was beaten up by setting up a Janata Darbar in the village.  His brother was tortured inhumanly under the leadership of Baijnath Mahato, the brother of Minister Jagarnath Mahato.  The brother, unconscious of the beating, was admitted to the DVC hospital, where he died in the order of the area.

In this case, the statement of 34 witnesses were recorded in the court on behalf of the prosecution.  Additional Public Prosecutor Sanjay Kumar Singh on behalf of the prosecution and Advocates Satyanarayana Dey, Kumar Anant Mohan Sinha and Arun Kumar Sinha on the defense side argued in the court.

Raju Ranjan, District Judge-I of Tenughat Court, heard the case and sentenced Ganesh Bharti, Nemi Puri, Kailash Puri, Jitendra Puri, Neeraj Puri and Kewal Mahto to life imprisonment besides Baijnath Mahato.  Three other accused Satyendra Giri, Mehlal Puri and Suraj Puri have been freed for lack of evidence.  Baijnath Mahato is already lodged in Tenughat Jail.  The other six were taken into custody on January 7 only after being convicted.