The Delhi High Court on Friday upheld the conviction and life sentence of ten policemen, including a senior officer, for the killing of two Haryana-based businessmen in a fake encounter due to mistaken identity at Connaught Place here in 1997.
A Bench comprising Justices B N Chaturvedi and G S Sistani concurred with the trial court judgement of October 24, 2007 holding the dismissed Delhi Police Assistant Commissioner of Police S S Rathi and others guilty of murder.
The other nine convicts are Inspector Anil Kumar, Sub-Inspector Ashok Rana, Head Constables Shiv Kumar, Tejpal Singh and Mahavir Singh and Constables Sumer Singh, Subhash Chand, Sunil Kumar and Kothari Ram.
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A Delhi Police Crime Branch team led by encounter specialist Rathi had on March 31, 1997 fired indiscriminately after suspecting that the businessmen were Uttar Pradesh—based gangsters wanted by the police.