NDTV

New Delhi, Dec 5: A court in Delhi has sentenced India's former coal minister Shibu Soren to life imprisonment for his role in the murder of his private secretary, Shashi Nath Jha.

The court has imposed a fine of Rs 5 lakh on Soren.

Additional Sessions Judge B R Kedia also sentenced four others convicted in the case to life imprisonment but fine amounts for them vary.

The Central Bureau of Investigation backed death sentence for Soren. It said as a conspirator he deserved the same punishment as the actual murderer.

Soren, who was brought from Tihar Jail, looked pale and was shocked on hearing the sentence.

Soren, who heads the Jhakhand Mukthi Morcha (JMM), was last week found guilty of abduction and murder of Shasinath Jha.

Jha was abducted from Delhi and his skeletal remains were found in Ranchi in 1994.

Jha was allegedly in the know of a bribe received by Soren for supporting a confidence vote to save the Narasimha Rao Government and was blackmailing him.

The court was all set to spell out the quantum of punishment last week but could not do so as Soren was moved to AIIMS after he complained of medical problems.

JMM leaders said they are prepared for a life without Soren. "I cannot tell you where we've gone wrong. Once we get hold of the entire file of the judgement, we can only then come to a conclusion," said Hem Lal Murmu, MP, JMM.

The leadership will now move over to the second-generation leaders of the JMM. The party has also ruled out any threat to the Madhu Koda government in Jharkhand, which it is supporting.