Twenty-five people, including nine women, were sentenced to life imprisonment on Monday for murdering five persons last year on 'Guddi Padwa' day.

Sangli Additional Sessions Judge Dilip Gaikwad convicted the 25 belonging to the Lingayat community and imposed a fine of Rs 1,000 each.

If the accused failed to pay the fine, they would have to undergo a rigorous imprisonment of another six months.

The 25 were also sentenced to one year rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 500 each on being found guilty under Section 436 (mischief by fire or explosive substance with intent to destroy house) of the Indian Penal Code, he said.

Following a dispute over a piece of land between the victims and the people of Lingayat community, a violent crowd of 125 people on March 21, 2004 stormed the house of the victims in Jet Taluka in Sangli district and then burnt alive five of them, including two women and a child.

Though, as many as 41 of the 125 were charge sheeted, only 25 of were convicted in the crime that shook the whole of Maharashtra last year.