Jamshedpur, March 1: More than three years after the gruesome murder of advocate Sadhan Chatterjee, the court of third additional district judge today held accused businessman Arvind Guha and wife Smita guilty of the crime and sentenced them to rigorous imprisonment (RI) for life.

While judge V.K. Gautam awarded Smita RI under Section 302 of the IPC, 52-year-old Guha has been given an additional 10 years’ sentence for holding Chatterjee captive for nearly 45 days before killing him in public. The couple’s 20-year-old son Arindam was, however, given benefit of doubt and acquitted on Saturday.

The Sadhan Chatterjee case is one of the most sensational murders to have rocked the steel city in recent years. The barbarism showed by the guilty had made lawyers demand gallows for at least Guha. However, the court decided on life term.

Advocate Chatterjee had gone missing from his residence at Adarshnagar in Sonari on July 31, 2007. He was traced to West Layout in the same locality on September 15, but was stabbed to death by his abductor that afternoon while police made an abortive and hasty attempt to rescue him.

The Guhas were caught in a prolonged legal tangle over a property dispute and had called the advocate, who was siding with Arvind Guha’s elder brother and adversary Chinmaya, on the pretext of consulting him on the case. When an unsuspecting Chatterjee landed at the couple’s 531 J-Road residence on July 31, he was taken hostage.

With her husband not returning home late in the evening, Chatterjee’s wife Lakhi launched a frantic search and later lodged a complaint with Sonari police.

Police remained clueless for days and even assumed that Chatterjee had deserted his family to become a saint.

But real drama unfolded on September 14 when Guha called the Jamshedpur Bar Association and said he was holding Chatterjee captive in his house for the past one-and-a-half months. He even put up a banner, explaining why the advocate was in his custody.

On September 15, a police team led by then deputy superintendent of police S.K. Kujur reached Guha’s house.

But the couple declared that they would not release the advocate till they got justice pertaining to the property dispute with their relative. They even warned of killing Chatterjee if anybody tried to rescue him forcefully.

In the meantime, Chatterjee appeared on the balcony of the double-storey house and assured the crowd gathered outside that he was safe.

After several attempts by lawyers, Guha’s wife agreed to speak to one of the members of the Bar. The situation seemed under control as Smita arranged for a table for the “talks” on their ground floor veranda.

But all efforts went haywire when the then officer in charge of Sonari police station, sub-inspector Manoj Thakur, and a few other policemen climbed up to the first floor of Guha’s residence using his neighbour’s staircase.

As they tried to kick open the door, they heard screams inside. Realising that his house was being stormed, Guha threw Chatterjee on the bed and stabbed him repeatedly in the stomach and chest with a sword. By the time police managed to break open the door, the 60-year-old advocate was grievously injured.

Assistant sub-inspector S.K. Singh, along with fire brigade personnel, managed to overpower Guha and take him into custody along with wife Smita. Arindam was shifted to Sonari police station, apprehending mob attack.

Chatterjee was rushed to Tata Main Hospital (TMH). He died within 15 minutes of being admitted there.

The murder, allegedly spurred by a rash rescue operation, took place in the presence of police, lawyers, mediapersons and residents, and while the victim’s wife Lakhi and daughter Indrani were pleading for his release.

Then East Singhbhum superintendent of police Naveen Kumar Singh had promised a departmental probe into police lapses. However, while the Guhas were held guilty today, no action has been taken against the policemen who botched up a rescue that cost a life.