A day after the Alipore fast-track court found them guilty of murder, crimelord Gabbar and his gang were defiant, belligerent and combative in the packed courtroom, while the judgment was delivered on Friday.

Additional and sessions judge Suhas Chattopadhyay sentenced Gabbar, alias Rashid Alam, and Trisha Roy to life terms and a fine of Rs 5,000 each for murdering Sanjiv Jhulka, alias Bunty, in May 2001 after a love triangle took a violent turn. Co-accused Fatman Brooks and Shabnam were awarded four years’ jail by the judge, who asked each of those in the dock what he or she expected from the court.

Key conspirator Ranvijay Singh Rathore, son of a south Calcutta businessman, who had hatched the plot with Gabbar to murder Bunty and fled from police custody in Alipore court in September 2002, is still absconding. Accomplice Nishan Pandey was absolved of all charges.

At about 12.20 pm, the four accused reached the court in two prison vans. Gabbar was in a yellow T-shirt and blue jeans, Fatman in a blue T-shirt and jeans, while Trisha and Shabnam were in salwar suits in pink and blue.

After reading out the charges, the judge asked Gabbar if he wanted to speak. Gabbar challenged the waiting lensmen to photograph him before he was led away to the van. Trisha pleaded her innocence, saying she was only a student. “What could I do if 10 youths decided to fight over me?” she asked.

Fatman, too, claimed innocence, seeking sympathy from the court as he was a married man and a father. Once in the van, however, he smiled and waved at the crowd. Shabnam told the court she was a student and had two brothers to look after, ever since their father died. Later, in the van, she screamed “good luck” to Gabbar and flashed him a thumbs-up.

The judge said the crime committed by Gabbar and Trisha fell under Article 302 of the IPC, which recommends either death sentence or life imprisonment. However, as the death sentence is awarded only in rare cases, he was sentencing the duo to life. Public prosecutor Swapan Chakraborty welcomed the verdict.