Sunil Pandey. Picture by Deepak Kumar

Patna, Sept. 17: A court today sentenced a JD(U) legislator, Sunil Pandey, and four others to life imprisonment in connection with the kidnapping of a Patna-based doctor in 2003.

The Patna district and sessions court also imposed a fine of Rs 50,000 each on the convicted persons. There were nine accused in the case originally, but four persons are still at large.

Sunil Pandey is the fourth elected people’s representative in the state to have been convicted for life in a criminal case. Others who have been convicted in the past two years include, RJD’s Siwan MP Mohammed Shahabuddin, RJD Madhepura MP Pappu Yadav and LJP MP from Balia Surajbaan Singh.