Two men convicted for murdering Additional District and Sessions Judge Uttam Anand in Jharkhand’s Dhanbad last year were on Saturday sentenced to rigorous imprisonment till death, The Indian Express reported, citing the defence lawyer.

On July 28, autorickshaw driver Lakhan Kumar Verma and his accomplice Rahul Kumar Verma were held guilty by a Dhanbad court under Sections 302 (murder), 201 (disappearance of evidence) and 34 (acts done with common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.

On Saturday, the court heard arguments to decide on the quantum of sentence.

“The judge pronounced both the accused guilty of murder,” defence lawyer Kumar Bimlendu told The Indian Express after the court sentenced the convicts to life-term jail. “The court took into account the statement of only eye-witness Sharavan Kumar had deposed that the auto knowingly steered towards the judge and hit him leading to his death. The court also relied upon the CFSL [central forensic lab] report which had stated that both the accused were not under intoxication during the act.”

Judge Anand died on July 28 last year in Dhanbad after a three-wheeler ran over him. CCTV camera footage of the incident showed the vehicle suddenly swerving towards the 49-year-old judge, who was walking on an empty road, and hitting him.

Before his death, Judge Anand had been hearing the murder case of Ranjay Singh, who was a close confidante of former Jharia MLA Sanjiv Singh. The judge had also denied bail to Ravi Thakur, a protégé of Uttar Pradesh shooters Abhinav Singh and Aman Singh, just three days before his death.

The trial in Judge Anand’s murder case began in February this year, PTI reported. The case was transferred to the Central Bureau of Investigation by the Jharkhand government.