New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA Pawan Kumar Sharma has been sentenced to 18 months imprisonment by a Delhi court for negligently causing the death of an employee in his steel factory.

Metropolitan magistrate Virender Singh awarded the jail term to Sharma, MLA from Adarsh Nagar constituency in North Delhi, and imposed a fine of Rs1 lakh on him. He was later granted bail by the court.

The legislator has been convicted for offences under sections 287 (negligent conduct with respect to machinery) and 304A (causing death by negligence) of the IPC.

When contacted, Sharma said he would file an appeal in the superior court challenging the judgement.

According to the prosecution, the incident took place in August 2009, when a worker at his steel factory in Samaipur Badli in Northwest Delhi was injured due to flying chips from a rolling machine. Victim Ram Kumar, who was working as machine operator, was taken to a hospital in Rohini where he succumbed to the injuries.

Police had alleged that the workers, including Ram Kumar, had complained about the defective machine to the factory owner, Sharma, who did not pay heed to it and asked them to leave the job. It had also alleged that no safety cover was provided to the workers at the mill.

An FIR (first information report) was lodged against the factory owner at Samaipur Badli Police Station. During the trial, Sharma had claimed innocence and pleaded that it was a false case.

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