Shift Shahabuddin to Tihar for scribe’s murder trial, SC tells Bihar govt

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday directed the Bihar government to transfer Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Mohammed Shahabuddin to Tihar Jail from a district jail in Siwan within a week.

A bench comprising justices Dipak Misra and Amitava Roy had heard pleas filed by the state government, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and other petitioners have sought transferring Shahabuddin out of Bihar alleging that he could influence trial and intimidate witnesses in the state.

Chandrakeshwar Prasad, whose three sons were allegedly murdered by Shahabuddin, and Asha Ranjan, whose journalist husband Rajdev Ranjan was allegedly murdered by associates of Shahabuddin, had moved the court.

The court’s order came after the CBI told the court that it would conduct a trial in the journalist murder case from Tihar jail through video conferencing.

The apex court on 30 September 2016 cancelled bail granted to Shahabuddin by the Patna high court. The high court granted bail to Shahabuddin on 7 September in a case of murder of a witness in the 2004 killing of two brothers in Siwan.

The court recorded that Shahabuddin has been declared history-sheeter Type A (who is beyond reform) and till date he has been booked in 75 cases out of which in 10 cases he has been convicted, and facing life imprisonment in two cases and 10 years rigorous imprisonment in one and 45 cases are pending for trial.

He has been acquitted in 20 cases.

The state government welcomed the court’s order. “There will be no compromise with the law and order situation in the state because the government was voted on the promise of governance. chief minister Nitish Kumar will not allow the law and order situation in the state to deteriorate. Leaders of both Janata Dal (United) and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) are aware that there can be no compromise on maintenance of law and order,” said a senior minister in Bihar government.