A district court on Friday acquitted 117 Maruti workers, while 31 were convicted by the additional district and sessions judge RP Goyal. The quantum of sentence will be announced later on 17 March.
The workers were embroiled in a violent dispute with India's largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India Ltd at the Manesar plant.
On 18 July 2012, workers had a heated exchange with their supervisor over hiring of low-paid temporary employees. The argument soon turned bloody. Awanish Kumar Dev, general manager (HR), lost his life when the protesting workers allegedly set a factory floor on fire. They were charged with conspiracy to commit murder, arson and rioting.
Of the 148 workers, 11 are still in jail while the rest were released on bail.
Around 100 managers were hospitalised after the incident which the company termed an “orchestrated act of mob violence”, said a Bloomberg report.
On Thursday, more than 25,000 workers across different plants expressed their solidarity with the accused by boycotting meals.
According to a Hindustan Times report, Maruti Suzuki Workers Union members have been asked to be present at the district court where additional district and sessions judge RP Goyal will give the verdict.
"The workers across the industrial belt are united and in one voice want the government to drop charges against those who have been framed wrongly,” Kuldeep Janghu, general secretary, Maruti Suzuki Kamgar Union, told HT.
Section 144 has also been imposed around the plant and the district court.
(With inputs from ANI.)
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