A local court on Saturday pronounced life sentence to the accused for killing the former block chairman of Chatrapur in Ganjam district.
Adjudicating the case, Additional District Judge Sovan Kumar Das awarded the sentence to Harihar Nayak for the murder of the senior CPI leader.
The former block chief N Simanchal Reddy had been shot dead by two assailants on September 22, 2010 over past enmity.
Reddy was attacked by Nayak while the former was overseeing works at his under-construction house at Chamakhandi. local police had rushed Reddy to the MKCG Medical College Hospital here in a critical condition. However, he was declared brought dead. Following the murder, tension prevailed in the area.
A massive manhunt was launched to nab the accused, following which Nayak was arrested from Hasnabad in West Bengal by the Crime Branch police on September 29, 2010.
The other accused B Purushottam Patra had surrendered before the Chhatrapur police three days after the incident.