Haldiram owner gets life term

Claiming he was innocent,Agarwal told the court that over a thousand families were dependent on him. I will take whatever punishment the court will decide for me, he added. The five were whisked away to the Alipore Central Jail where they would be kept for the time being.

Agarwal and his accomplices had tried to eliminate Pramod Sharma a tea vendor who had a stall in Kolkatas business hub of Burrabazar where Haldiram planned to set up a food mall. Agarwal considered the tea stall an eyesore and tried to pay off Pramod. But when he refused to accept the money and shift,Agarwal tried to get rid of him. But Pramod survived the attack on February 12,2005 with bullets injuries on his left leg.

The judgment is very harsh. We will challenge it, said Shahid Imam,the defense counsel for Gopal Tiwari.

Tiwari,who has several criminal cases against him,claimed he was being framed as he had once contested as a Shiv Sena candidate.