HC to hear appeal of Manjunath murder convict

The Allahabad high court on fixed July 2 for the final hearing on the appeal of a convict in the death row for the murder of Indian Oil's sales manager S Manjunath case, challenging the lower court order.

A Lucknow bench of the court -- comprising Justice A N Verma and Justice S S Chauhan -- posted the matter following a petition by Pawan Mittal alias Monu Mittal, who was sentenced to death by a Lakhimpur district court for the murder of the executive.

Besides Mittal, seven others were awarded life sentences in the case by the district court.

Five associates of Mittal had already filed appeal in the high court earlier. Mittal's lawyers have pleaded that the trial judge erred in law and facts while convicting him.

Manjunath was shot dead on November 19, 2005, at a petrol pump in Gola area in Lakhimpur after he threatened to cancel the licence of Mittal, a petrol pump owner, for selling adulterated fuel.