Patiala (Punjab), March 30 - Senior Punjab minister Jagir Kaur was Friday held guilty by a court here of conspiracy in the death of her own daughter in April 2000 and sentenced to five years rigorous imprisonment. However, the court dropped murder charges against her.

Jagir Kaur, minister for rural water supply and sanitation and defence services, was convicted by the special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court in Patiala, 80 km from Punjab capital Chandigarh. The lone woman in the Badal cabinet is a former president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC).

She has been held guilty under various sections of the Indian Penal Code -- Section 120-B (conspiracy), 313 (causing miscarriage without woman's consent), 344 (wrongful confinement for 10 days or more) and 365 (kidnapping or abducting with intent of secretly and wrongfully to confine person).

However, the court dropped the charges of murder (Section 302) against Jagir Kaur and other who had been accused by the CBI.

Three others - Dalwinder Dhesi, Paramjit Singh and Nishan Singh - have absolved of murder but convicted in the murder conspiracy.

Jagir Kaur's daughter Harpreet Kaur had died under mysterious circumstances April 20, 2000, following which she was cremated hastily by the family members.

Harpreet had angered her mother and other family members by secretly marrying a youth, Kamaljit Singh, who belonged to a lower caste.

Jagir Kaur was inducted as a cabinet minister March 14.