Jaipur, Dec 3 (IANS): A special court in Rajasthan’s Jaipur on Tuesday sentenced eight individuals to life imprisonment in the Malpura riot case of Tonk which took place in 2000.

Five others were acquitted due to the lack of conclusive evidence. The riots, claimed six lives, including two minors.

Delivering the verdict, the court noted the ruthless nature of the killings, emphasising that the perpetrators used sharp weapons to carry out the attacks.

The court stated that such acts of brutality did not warrant any leniency.

Advocate Purushottam Banwada, representing the victims, recounted that the riots in Malpura involved clashes between two communities.

“The judgments in the remaining two cases are expected soon,” Banwada.

Hariram and Kailash Mali were among the deceased, whose cases formed part of the legal proceedings. Both communities also filed cases, and verdicts have been delivered in two of them so far.

In Hariram's murder case, the court sentenced Islam, Mohammad Ishak, Abdul Razzaq, Irshad, Mohammad Zafar, Sajid Ali, Bilal Ahmed, and Mohammad Habib to life imprisonment.

Dhanni Devi, Hariram’s widow, had filed a report at the Malpura police station on July 10, 2000. She alleged that her husband was attacked with sharp weapons while they were heading to the fields, resulting in his death.

In Kailash Mali’s murder case, the court acquitted five accused, citing insufficient evidence. The FIR in this case was lodged by Kailash’s son, who stated that villagers had informed him of the incident.

By the time he arrived at the scene, the crime had already been committed, and he did not witness the accused attacking his father. The defense lawyers argued that the lack of eyewitness testimony weakened the prosecution's case, leading to the acquittals.