Prime accused in the multi-crore fake stamp paper racket Abdul Karim Telgi and two doctors he bribed to get false medical certificates were sentenced to seven years rigorous imprisonment by the special court trying the cases.

Telgi was also fined Rs 25 lakh, while the two doctors of government-run Victoria Hospital -- Jnanendrappa and Channakeshava -- were fined Rs 14 lakh each. Failure to pay it would result in another two years' jail, said the order pronounced by the Judge Vishwanath Virupax Angadi.

It's a national issue and therefore, the court is awarding "maximum punishment", observed the judge. The two doctors were found guilty of taking bribe and issuing false medical certificates to Telgi to enable him get released on bail.

This is the first case in which Telgi has been sentenced under the Prevention of Corruption Act, and the third in which he has been convicted.

The trial started in September 2005, and it was held via video conferencing by which Telgi appeared from Yerawada Jail in Pune where he is lodged.