Former councillor Sharda Jain convicted for murder

Former Congress councillor Sharda Jain, her brother and four others were convicted on Thursday in the sensational Atma Ram murder case.

A trial court convicted all six for kidnapping and later murdering councillor Atmaram Gupta of the same party in August 2002.

Additional Sessions Judge Bharat Parasahar also convicted three Uttar Pradesh policemen on charges of destroying evidence in the murder case. Judge Parashar found former Congress councillor Sharda Jain guilty of kidnapping Gupta and later eliminating with the help of her brother Raj Kumar Jain.

It was a love triangle that led to Gupta's death. Sharda, a MCD councilor hatched the conspiracy to kidnap and murder Gupta, as she did not like his closeness with another woman councillor, Memwati.

Though the murder happened four years ago and the accused had accepted their crime, it took four long years for the conviction. The Congress party however had thrown out both the women councilors from their cadre in 2002 itself.

On August 24, 2002, Atma Ram Gupta along with Sharda Jain had left for a Congress rally, from which he never returned. His brother filed a missing person's complaint with the police the next day. On August 27, Sharda Jain and her elder brother Raj Kumar were arrested and confessed to their involvement in Gupta's murder. Jain then led the police to Ghaziabad to point out the spot where Gupta was killed. Eight days later Gupta's body was recovered from a sub canal.

On September 6, 2002, the the police even managed to recover Gupta's I card from an alleged hired shooter and co-accused Pushpender. The second shooter was also arrested.