The CBI court today gave justice to Uttar Pradesh Police DSP KP Singh and 12 villagers who were massacred by the guilty cops on 12 March 1982.

After a prolonged legal battle for little less than 30 years, the 13 victims of a 1982 fake encounter case in Uttar Pradesh's Gonda district finally got justice as a CBI court awarded capital punishment to three cops and gave life term to five.

On 12 March 1982, deputy superintendent of police KP Singh and 12 villagers were murdered at Madhavpur village in Gonda by a group of 19 policemen, the Times of India reported.

"CBI judge Rajendra Singh found RB Saroj (then station officer of Kaudia police station in Gonda), Ram Nayak Pandey (then a head constable) and Ram Karan Singh Yadav (a constable) guilty of conspiring to eliminate DSP KP Singh and villagers"— the Times of India reported.

Ten of the chargesheeted policemen passed away during trial while seven retired from service.

The station house officer with help from other cops killed Singh as the team under the DSP reached Madhavpur to act against a gang of dacoits after responding to a tip-off.

The civilians were killed in cold blood and later declared as dacoits, the Times of India said.

Singh was apparently conducting a departmental inquiry against Saroj when the incident happened.

Unhappy with the clean chit given by Uttar Pradesh Police to the convicted officers, Singh's wife Vibha Singh had moved the Supreme Court, following which the apex court directed CBI to take up the matter.

PTI