The first and second accused in the murder of an auto driver in Thiruvananthapuram two years ago were sentenced to life and fined Rs 1,45,000 by a court here on Saturday.

Barton Hill native Anilkumar was murdered by Vishnu (Jeevan) and Manoj at the Law College Junction on the night of March 24, 2019.

The court ruled that the first accused, Vishnu should not be granted parole and other relaxations considering his criminal background.

The court also directed the state government to award a solatium to the deceased's wife. It was also ruled to register criminal cases against eight witnesses who had turned hostile during the proceedings.

The third and fourth accused, Mary Rajan and Rajesh were let off for lack of evidence. The investigation had revealed that Anilkumar had been murdered out of personal vendetta.

A total of 96 witnesses, 107 documents, and 142 pieces of evidence were examined and a 500-page charge sheet had been submitted after a 118-day investigation.

In the FIR registered by the Museum Police, there were only two accused while the others, who allegedly helped the first accused escape, were arraigned only later.