A Dhanbad court on Monday sentenced a former Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leader and eight others to 10 years in prison in a 16-year-old murder case in Jorapokhar area.

The court of additional sessions judge Mahendra Prasad also slapped a fine of Rs 10,000 each on Belal Khan, an influential trade union leader and former district president of the LJP, his two brothers Irshad and Shamshad, and six other Jorapokhar residents for killing one Bablu Khan.

On October 12, 1999, Bablu who had some old dispute with Belal, then an LJP member, had fired a round on Irshad. Though the bullet missed its target, Belal, Shamshad and their henchmen chased Bablu and hunted him down. He was thrashed and crushed under the wheels of a bike. Bablu later died in hospital.

A case was registered with Jorapokhar police under Section 304A (causing death by negligence) of the IPC based on the complaint of the victim's father. However, the accused were out on bail until on April 8 when the court convicted them and sent them to jail.

"I have been falsely implicated. I will challenge the order," Belal said.