In a model judgment to deter those causing obstruction on public way, the Perambra Judicial First Class Magistrate Court here has sentenced the former Minister and Congress leader P. Sankaran and 28 other party workers to undergo imprisonment “till the rising of the court” and to pay a fine of Rs.200 in connection with a case registered against them for blocking the Kozhikode- Perambra State highway five years ago.
Pronouncing the verdict here on Saturday, Magistrate C.S. Binu found Mr. Sankaran and others guilty under Section 143 (unlawful assembly) and Section 283 (danger or obstruction in public way or line of navigation) of the Indian Penal Code.
The accused were asked to undergo imprisonment till rising of the court under Section 143 and pay the fine under Section 283 of the IPC. If the accused failed to remit the fine they would have to undergo 15 days in prison.
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The Perambra police had registered the case after 30 Congress activists led by Mr. Sankaran picketed the Perambra bus station at 11 a.m. on February 12, 2007 in protest against the Left Democratic Front government's failure to deal with price rise in the State. The protesters had then blocked the pedestrians and vehicles. One of the accused, Babu Vattakandi, died during the course of the trial.
The accused had to remain in court till the court adjourned for the day at 5 p.m. All of them also remitted the fine after the verdict.