The high court on Tuesday upheld a lower court order holding two persons guilty of attacking a promoter in Behala in 2000 and sentencing them to 10 years in prison.

The appeal against the order was moved by Satyajit Dutta and Ajoy Sen, who had been convicted by an Alipore court in 2003 for shooting at promoter Bijan Kundu. The promoter survived but became crippled.

On Tuesday, a division bench of Justice Asim Banerjee and Kalidas Mukherjee dismissed the appeal.

“The duo were arrested in 2001 and have been lodged in jail since then. They will have to stay behind bars at least for two more years,” said state counsel Pinaki Bhattacharya.

Kundu, who attended Tuesday’s hearing in a wheelchair, was attacked by local hoodlums a few days after his wedding nine years ago for not paying up extortion money.

On April 7, 2000, Satyajit Dutta, Ajoy Sen and two others had barged into Kundu’s office at Parnasree Pally in Behala. Satyajit fired at him and the bullet hit Kundu’s right shoulder. He was rushed to hospital by his employees and friends. One of his employees lodged a police complaint the same day.

“The trial started before the ninth judge of Alipore court, who sentenced Dutta and Sen to 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment in 2003. The other two — Amal Sardar and Dulal Parui — were acquitted for lack of evidence,” said Bhattacharya.

Opposing Dutta and Sen’s appeal, public prosecutor Ashimesh Goswami said: “The crime is unpardonable. Kundu’s life was saved, but he has lost the capacity to move.”