In a big jolt to former Samajwadi Party MlA Vijay Singh, the lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court on Friday upheld the life sentence given to him and his accomplice Sanjeev Maheshwari in the gruesome murder of BJP leader and former Minister Brahmadutt Dwivedi in Farrukhabad 20 years ago.
Vijay Singh, who was on bail and had contested the recent State Assembly elections on Samajwadi Party ticket from Farrukhabad, was taken into custody and sent to jail by the High Court.
A division Bench comprising Justices Ajai lamba and Vijay laxmi upheld the lower court judgment of life term to both the accused pronounced in 2003.
Brahmadutt Dwivedi, a senior BJP leader, was murdered on February 10, 1997 in Farrukhabad and UP Government handed over the case to the CBI. In 2003, the Special CBI court convicted Vijay and Sanjeev in the murder and awarded life term imprisonment to both the accused. Vijay Singh had challenged the special court verdict in the HC which had stayed the order and also granted bail to him. Sanjeev Maheshwari was not granted bail by the HC.