Bihar MP, cohorts get life

Statesman News ServicePATNA, June 25: The controversial LJP MP Surajbhan Singh, along with two of his associates, was today sentenced to life imprisonment by a local court in Bihar in a 16-year-old murder case. The court also imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 each on all of the convicted. Singh, who represents Balia seat from Bihar in Parliament is among a dozen Bihar politicians punished by the court in the last year for their criminal past. Yesterday, all of them had been convicted for murder and were subsequently sent to jail. The court had fixed today to pronounce judgement in the murder case pending in the court for the last 16 years. The much-needed judgement brought smiles to the face of the victim family who had been fighting the lone court battle against the MP. “We came across severe odds during the course of the trial. We were threatened with dire consequences for pursuing the case and were also offered money… It’s a victory of justice today. We are delighted,” the victim’s wife Shakuntal told reporters outside the court. The judgement came 16 years after the killing of local villager Rami Singh in Begusarai district. The MP was found guilty under section 302, 149 of the IPC and Arms Act by a fast track court headed by Justice Mr RP Dubey. The Patna High Court had recently asked the fast track court to complete the trial and pronounce the judgement by 30 June. The MP, according to the FIR, had attacked the house of the villager with two of his associates at Mathurapur village during the morning of 16 January, 1992, and then shot him dead since he refused to pay extortion to the accused people. Mr Singh is an accused in more than six other cases of murder, extortion, kidnapping and loot trial of which are in different stages of progress. Beginning his political career as an Independent legislator, Mr Singh shot to the limelight after he with a bunch of legislators with criminal backgrounds lent his support to the chief minister Mr Nitish Kumar in forming a government in Bihar after 2000 Assembly elections although his government lasted for only a week.