The Supreme Court on Friday held Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and former MP Prabhunath Singh guilty in the 1995 double murder case. SC has reversed Patna High Court's order of acquittal.
“We set aside the impunged order of the Patna high court and convict respondent no 2...Prabhunath Singh, under Section 302 (murder) for the murders of Daroga Rai and Rajendra Rai,” read the court judgment.
“We direct the home secretary of Bihar and the director general of police of the state to arrest Prabhunath Singh and produce him before this court in custody on the next date of hearing to be heard on (the) argument of (the) sentence,” the judgment was quoted by HT.
The court affirmed the acquittal of six other co-accused and next date for sentence pronouncing has been fixed on September 1.
In 2017, Singh was found guilty in connection with 1995 murder of legislator Ashok Singh, who defeated him in the Bihar assembly poll.
A bench of justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul, A.S. Oka and Vikram Nath convicted Prabhunath Singh, a three-term Janata Dal (United) or JD(U) and one-time RJD MP from Maharajganj, in the double murder case saying there is sufficient evidence to show he murdered the duo near a polling booth in Chhapra in March 1995.
The Patna HC transferred the case from Chhapra after the kin of those killed alleged that witnesses were being threatened and influenced. A Patna court in December 2008 acquitted Singh citing lack of evidence. It was upheld by the Patna HC as well in 2012.
However, Rajendra Rai's brother challenged the acquittal in the Supreme Court.