Jamshedpur, July 22: Three persons were awarded rigorous life imprisonment today at the court of additional district and sessions judge in connection with a murder case.

The convicts ? Rinku Kumar alias Ranjeet, Safiq Ali and Mohammad Salim alias Juhi ? had stabbed Asgar on November 16, 2004. He died next day at Tata Main Hospital.

Additional district and sessions judge Bhola Prasad pronounced the punishment.

Prosecution advocate Deepak Kumar said the trio was pronounced guilty on the basis of the dying statement of the victim.

?Asgar took the name of all the three convicts in front of his brother in the hospital. Considering it to be the dying statement of the victim, the case was argued in the court,? he said.

Defence advocate Udit Sarkar, however, pointed out that the court had taken the statement of Asgar before his brother to be his dying statement, but the police had not mentioned the latter?s name as a witness. He also said he would challenge the decision in the high court.

Asgar, a resident of Jugsalai, was murdered for having an affair with a nurse of a local nursing home. On November 16, 2004, the three convicts first allured Asgar to come to Mango to watch a movie. While returning, they stabbed him in Jugsalai.