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Curtains were wrung down on the seven-year-old case of Maoist attack on the former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu with the additional sessions court in Tirupati indicting four of the 30 accused and awarded them punishment on Friday.
Additional Sessions Judge Venkat Ramanna delivering the verdict in the case, awarded seven years imprisonment to the senior Maoist leader Panduranga Rao alias Sagar and three explosives dealers Ramaswamy Reddy, Nagarjuna and Nagi Reddy. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 5,000 on each of them.
In the sensational incident on October 1, 2003, Maoists tried to blow up the car of the then chief minister Naidu near Alipiri on Tirumala Ghat road. The serial landmine blast had thrown away the bullet car up to several meters injuring Naidu. Several other vehicles in the convoy were also damaged. A minister Gopalakrishna Reddy and three MLAs were also injured in the attack.
While the prosecution had listed 33 persons as the accused in the case, many of the accused Maoists were killed in subsequent encounters and some remained absconding.
Cases were booked against them under section 307, 324, 326 of the Indian Penal Code as well as sections of explosives act.
After the verdict was announced, Maoist leader Sagar shouted protest slogans and his counsel said that he will challenge the verdict in the high court.