43 police officers in a 31-year-old false encounter case received life sentences from the Allahabad High Court.

In a case involving a bogus encounter that dates back 31 years, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court condemned 43 policemen to life in jail.

On July 12, 1991, a division bench of Justices Ramesh Sinha and Saroj Yadav rendered a decision in the case of the Pilibhit encounter, in which policemen killed 11 Sikh pilgrims on the grounds that they belonged to the Khalistan Liberation Front.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) opened an investigation into the situation in response to directives from the Supreme Court on May 15, 1992. The lower court relied on the CBI chargesheet in 2016 when it sentenced all 57 police officers to life in jail.

The high court confirmed the lower court’s decision against the 43 remaining accused after the accused appealed the lower court’s decision.