Gulshan Kumar murder: Gangster Dawood's aide to spend life in jail

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court upheld Abdul Rauf merchant's conviction in the Gulshan Kumar murder case. Gulshan Kumar, the founder of the media company T-series, was murdered in 1997, and Abdul Rauf Merchant, an aide of gangster Dawood Ibrahim, was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2002.

Justice SS Jadhav and Justice NR Borkar of a division bench observed that Abdul Rauf Dawood Merchant had "criminal antecedents" and is not entitled to remission as he absconded right after his arrest. The court said that he was released on parole in 2009, but he fled knowing that his conviction was still intact, and he resumed criminal activities. So, he does not deserve any leniency in the interest of justice, the court said.

The Bombay HC order said that conviction and sentence passed against appellant Abdul Rauf Dawood Merchant under section 302,307 of IPC by the judgment of sessions court judge dated April 29, 2002, is upheld. Appellant is also convicted for the section under 120-B of IPC.

However, the appellant is acquitted of charges under sections 392 (Robbery) and 397 (Robbery or dacoity in an attempt to cause death) of IPC.

While the court dismissed the state government appeal against the acquittal of Ramesh Taurani of Tips Industries, it partly allowed the state's appeal against the acquittal of Abdul Rashid Dawood Merchant, Abdul Rauf's brother. Abdul Rashid is sentenced to life imprisonment.

Gulshan Kumar was shot dead in a temple premises in Mumbai on August 12, 1997.

Before the trial court, the prosecution argued that Kumar's rivals in the industry paid Dubai-based gangster Abu Salem to kill him but, it only convicted Rauf.